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.
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.
Will the UEFA Europa League and Conference League also be on Disney+?
Yes. The reported deal covers all three UEFA club competitions: the Champions League, the Europa League, and the Conference League. Every match in all three competitions would stream on Disney+ in the United States.
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.
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.