A new report says Disney+ is taking over the streaming rights to the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League from Paramount Plus. The deal would move all three of UEFA's flagship club competitions onto a single streaming home and reset the soccer streaming landscape in the United States for the first time in years. We have been Paramount Plus subscribers for the Champions League. We are about to become Disney+ subscribers for it instead.
The headline number is three competitions. The Champions League, the marquee Tuesday and Wednesday product. The Europa League, UEFA's second-tier midweek competition. And the Conference League, the third-tier club competition that has been growing into a real watch over the last few seasons. All three competitions, all of the matches, all under one streaming roof.
What Is Moving and When
The deal covers all three UEFA club competitions for the upcoming cycle. Streaming rights, language feeds, on-demand replays, the bracket coverage on draw days. Whatever Paramount Plus has been doing with the Champions League and the Europa League since picking up those rights, Disney+ is reportedly inheriting the entire package. The Conference League had a smaller US streaming footprint under Paramount and gets bumped up to the same shelf as the bigger two competitions on Disney+.
The exact start date for the new deal is still being confirmed. The 2026-27 European club season is the most likely first season under the new home, which would put the first Disney+ Champions League matchday in September 2026.
What the Champions League Move Means
The Champions League is the marquee product of the entire deal and the reason the rights are worth what they are. The Swiss model league phase format that UEFA introduced in 2024 expanded the competition to 36 clubs in a single table, with each team playing eight matches against eight different opponents during the league phase, and that new structure has produced significantly more compelling Tuesday and Wednesday matchdays than the old 32-team eight-group format ever did. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Inter Milan, and the rest of the top European club brands all run through this competition every season, and the deep rounds remain the biggest stage in club football outside of the World Cup.
Under Paramount Plus, the Champions League was the headline property. The CBS Sports Golazo Network built its entire identity around Tuesday and Wednesday studio shows, the Kate Abdo and Thierry Henry desk became must-watch content for American Champions League fans, and the final on free-to-air CBS gave the competition real cultural reach in the United States. Disney+ inheriting the streaming rights changes the consumer side of all of that. Champions League matchdays move from Paramount Plus to Disney+, the bundle that already includes ESPN+ and Hulu becomes the most complete soccer streaming package on the market, and ABC becomes the most likely linear partner for marquee matches and the final.
What does not move automatically is the studio show talent and the production identity. Disney+ would be expected to build its own Champions League studio package with its own desk, its own talent, and its own visual style, separate from whatever happens to the CBS Sports Golazo brand on the Paramount side. The Champions League broadcast experience is going to feel different on Disney+ than it did on Paramount Plus even if the matches themselves are the same, and the question of whether Disney can match the studio quality CBS built up over the last few years is the most interesting open question of the entire deal.
What the Europa League Move Means
The Europa League is UEFA's second-tier club competition and one of the most underrated products on the European soccer calendar. The league phase format that UEFA rolled out in 2024 puts 36 clubs into a single table where each team plays eight matches against eight different opponents, a structure that has produced more compelling Thursday-night matchups than the old eight-group format ever did. Tottenham Hotspur won the 2024-25 Europa League title. Atalanta won the 2023-24 trophy. Manchester United, Sevilla, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Villarreal all hold recent Europa League hardware, which is the kind of name-brand depth this competition has had for years and never quite gets credit for.
Under Paramount Plus, the Europa League lived in the shadow of the Champions League. Coverage was real, the matches were all there, the CBS Golazo studio shows would touch on it, but the marketing weight always landed on the Tuesday and Wednesday Champions League slate. Disney+ has more reach than Paramount Plus, more marketing infrastructure, and a clearer path to making Thursday Europa League matchdays a real weekly destination instead of a niche product. Premier League teams that miss out on Champions League qualification land in the Europa League roughly every season, which means the storylines that drive American Premier League viewership feed directly into the Disney+ Europa League schedule.
If Disney leans into the Europa League the way they have leaned into Marvel and Star Wars across the Disney+ platform, this competition is about to get the spotlight it has deserved for a decade.
What the Conference League Move Means
The UEFA Conference League is the youngest of the three club competitions, launched in 2021-22 to give smaller clubs from smaller leagues a real path to European football. The format mirrors the Europa League structure with a 36-team league phase introduced in 2024, and the Conference League final has produced legitimate trophies for Roma in 2022, West Ham in 2023, Olympiacos in 2024, and Chelsea in 2025. Four different winners in four years across four different leagues, which is exactly the kind of competitive variety that the Champions League stopped offering once the same six or seven clubs started monopolizing the deep rounds.
The Conference League has had the smallest US streaming footprint of the three UEFA competitions for its entire short existence. Paramount Plus carried it but rarely promoted it, and the average American soccer fan could go an entire Thursday matchday without realizing the Conference League was happening at all. Disney+ taking the rights matters most for this competition because the floor for marketing attention is the lowest. Bumping the Conference League up to the same shelf as the Champions League and Europa League on Disney+ gives a third-tier product the kind of streamer-level promotion it has never had.
We have been watching the Conference League since it launched, and we think it is one of the most fun midweek soccer products on the calendar precisely because the smaller-club storylines are different from anything else in European football. A bigger streaming platform behind it should grow the audience that has been quietly tuning in.
Where Every Major European League Airs in the US
One quick clarification because we have already seen confusion on this. The Disney+ deal only covers the three UEFA club competitions. Every domestic European league has its own separate US rights deal, and none of those move with this deal. If you have been watching Italian Serie A on Paramount Plus, that is not changing. If you have been watching Premier League on Peacock or La Liga on ESPN+, none of those move either. The Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League are the rights that just moved. Everything else stays exactly where it has been.
Here is the full lineup of where every top European soccer product streams in the US as of the 2026-27 cycle.
The practical takeaway is that watching every major European league plus the UEFA club competitions in the US still requires four to five subscriptions. The Disney bundle (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+) gets you UEFA, La Liga, Bundesliga, FA Cup, Copa del Rey, and Eredivisie all in one package once the new rights kick in, which is by far the strongest single soccer streaming deal on the market. Premier League stays on Peacock. Serie A stays on Paramount Plus. Ligue 1 stays on Fubo or beIN Sports. MLS stays on Apple TV. The streaming fragmentation is a real fan complaint, and the Disney+ UEFA deal does consolidate three high-profile products onto an existing bundle, but it does not consolidate every European league. If you are subscribed to Paramount Plus specifically for Serie A or for the Italian cup competitions, that subscription is still doing what it has always done. The UEFA move does not affect Italian league access at all.
Why This Is Big News for Soccer Fans in the US
Soccer streaming in the United States has been split across way too many services for years. Paramount Plus had the Champions League and the Europa League. Peacock had the Premier League. ESPN+ had La Liga and the FA Cup. Apple TV had MLS. Fubo had everything else. To watch a full midweek of European club soccer, you needed three or four subscriptions running in parallel.
Disney+ does not solve all of that. Peacock still has the Premier League, Apple TV still has MLS, and ESPN+ still has La Liga. But Disney+ now becomes a real soccer destination in a way it was not before, and the Disney bundle (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+) starts to look like the most complete soccer-streaming package on the market in the US.
There is a content library reason this matters too. Paramount Plus is a real streamer with real shows, but Disney+ has Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and the National Geographic library on top of every Disney movie ever made. For a household that was paying for Paramount Plus only because of the Champions League, the move means trading sideways into a service with a much deeper content library at a similar price point.
What This Means for Paramount Plus
This is a real loss for Paramount. The Champions League has been the headline live-sports product for Paramount Plus for years, and the Europa League has filled the schedule on Thursdays. Losing both, plus the Conference League, leaves Paramount Plus without a tentpole soccer property going into the 2026-27 cycle. Their NFL on CBS package and the NCAA Tournament still live on Paramount Plus, but the soccer audience they spent years building is going to follow the rights to Disney+.
CBS Sports Golazo Network, the linear and YouTube channel Paramount built around the Champions League coverage, is the bigger question. The hosts, the studio shows, the post-match panels. None of that has been confirmed to move with the rights. UEFA is the rights holder, not the production company, so Disney+ would build its own studio show with its own talent, and CBS Golazo would either pivot to other competitions or face real questions about its future on the Paramount side.
Will the Champions League Still Air on TV?
Selected matches will likely still air on linear TV under sublicense arrangements, but the bulk of the Champions League schedule, the Europa League schedule, and the entire Conference League schedule will be on Disney+ as the primary streaming home. CBS lost the rights to broadcast Champions League matches on the network in this deal, so the Saturday Champions League final on free-to-air CBS is no longer guaranteed unless a sublicense covers it. ABC, which Disney owns, becomes the most likely linear partner for marquee matches under the new deal.
Frequently Asked Questions About Disney+ and the UEFA Champions League
When does Disney+ start streaming the UEFA Champions League?
The 2026-27 season is the most likely first season under the new deal, which would put the first Disney+ Champions League matchday in September 2026. The exact start date is being confirmed by both UEFA and Disney.
When does Disney+ start streaming the UEFA Europa League?
The UEFA Europa League is part of the same Disney+ deal that covers the Champions League and the Conference League. The 2026-27 European club season is the most likely first season under the new home, which would put the first Disney+ Europa League Thursday matchday in September 2026. Every Europa League match across the league phase, knockout round, and final would stream on Disney+ in the United States once the deal goes live.
When does Disney+ start streaming the UEFA Conference League?
The UEFA Conference League is also covered under the new Disney+ deal alongside the Champions League and Europa League. The 2026-27 season is expected to be the first under the new home, with every Conference League match in the United States streaming on Disney+ from the league phase through the final. The Conference League had the smallest streaming footprint of the three UEFA competitions on Paramount Plus, and the move to Disney+ should significantly expand its US visibility.
Are all three UEFA competitions definitely moving to Disney+?
Yes per the current reporting. The deal covers all three UEFA club competitions as a single package: the Champions League, the Europa League, and the Conference League. Every match in all three competitions would stream on Disney+ in the United States, replacing the package Paramount Plus has carried for the last several seasons. Disney+ would become the single streaming home for European club football's full midweek schedule.
Did Tottenham really win the 2024-25 Europa League?
Yes. Tottenham Hotspur won the 2024-25 UEFA Europa League final, the club's first major European trophy in decades. The Spurs run was one of the headline storylines of the Europa League calendar last season and is exactly the kind of brand-name moment that Disney+ marketing infrastructure should be able to capitalize on for the 2026-27 cycle and beyond.
Who has won the UEFA Conference League?
The UEFA Conference League launched in 2021-22 and has been won by Roma in 2022, West Ham in 2023, Olympiacos in 2024, and Chelsea in 2025. Four different winners from four different leagues in the competition's first four years, which is the kind of competitive variety the deeper rounds of the Champions League no longer regularly produce.
What happens to Paramount Plus and the Champions League?
Paramount Plus loses the streaming rights to all three UEFA competitions when the new Disney+ deal kicks in for the 2026-27 cycle. The CBS Sports Golazo Network and the studio show built around Paramount's Champions League coverage have not been confirmed to move with the rights, since UEFA holds the rights and not the production crew.
Is Serie A still on Paramount Plus after the Disney+ deal?
Yes. Serie A is unaffected by the Disney+ UEFA deal. Serie A is the Italian top-flight domestic league with its own separate US rights agreement, and CBS Sports renewed Serie A on Paramount Plus through at least the 2025-26 season under a multi-year extension. If you are subscribed to Paramount Plus specifically for Italian Serie A coverage, your access is not changing because of the UEFA move. Paramount Plus also keeps Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, the Carabao Cup, NWSL, the Concacaf Nations League, and the Brazilian Serie A under its existing soccer rights deals.
What does Paramount Plus keep after losing UEFA?
Paramount Plus keeps Italian Serie A, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, the Carabao Cup (English League Cup), NWSL, the Concacaf Nations League, the Concacaf Gold Cup, the Scottish Premiership, and the Brazilian Serie A under its existing media rights deals. The UEFA loss is real, but Paramount Plus retains a meaningful soccer footprint built around Serie A as the headline league, the Italian cup competitions, and the broader Concacaf and Brazilian rights portfolio.
Where can I watch the Premier League in the US in 2026?
The Premier League is on Peacock in the United States, with select matches airing on NBC, USA Network, and CNBC under NBC's broadcast partnership. Peacock Premium ($7.99 a month) carries every Premier League match not aired on linear TV, and Peacock Premium Plus ($13.99 a month) removes ads from on-demand replays. The Premier League rights are completely separate from the Disney+ UEFA deal and Premier League viewing in the US is unaffected.
Where can I watch La Liga in the US?
La Liga is on ESPN+ in the United States. Every La Liga match streams on ESPN+, with select marquee matches also airing on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 under the ESPN broadcast partnership. La Liga is part of the Disney bundle through ESPN+, which means the same Disney bundle that will carry the UEFA competitions starting 2026-27 also already carries La Liga.
Where can I watch Bundesliga in the US?
Bundesliga is on ESPN+ in the United States. Every Bundesliga match streams on ESPN+, and select matches air on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 under the ESPN broadcast partnership. Bundesliga is also part of the Disney bundle, which makes the bundle the most consolidated soccer streaming package in the US once the UEFA rights move over for the 2026-27 season.
Where can I watch Ligue 1 in the US?
Ligue 1, the French top flight, is available on Fubo and beIN Sports in the United States. Ligue 1 is the only major top-five European league not currently part of the Disney bundle or the major streaming-first US soccer packages, and it is unaffected by the UEFA deal.
Do I need a Disney+ subscription to watch the Champions League?
If the deal goes through as reported, yes. A Disney+ subscription would be the primary way to watch UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League matches in the United States starting with the 2026-27 cycle. Selected marquee matches may still air on linear TV through ABC under Disney's umbrella.
Will Champions League matches still be free on CBS?
Probably not in the same way they have been under Paramount. CBS aired select Champions League matches on the broadcast network and offered the final free-to-air. With the rights moving to Disney, ABC becomes the most likely linear partner. The Champions League final airing on free-to-air network television in the US is no longer guaranteed under the new deal.
Does the Disney+ bundle include the Champions League?
The Disney bundle (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+) is expected to be the cheapest way to watch the Champions League on Disney+ once the rights move over. Standalone Disney+ subscriptions will also include the matches, but the bundle gives subscribers the soccer plus the rest of the Disney content library at a discounted total price.
Is this better for soccer fans in the US?
We think so. Consolidating the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League onto a single streamer with a deeper content library than Paramount Plus is a net win for fans. Disney+ also has a stronger consumer marketing push than Paramount has had on its soccer product, which should translate into bigger US audiences for the Champions League over the long run.
