The UEFA Champions League final will not be shown free-to-air in the United Kingdom for the first time since the competition’s modern rebrand 34 years ago, as broadcaster TNT Sports moves to restrict access to paid subscribers only.
The decision means fans wanting to watch the final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest will need a subscription to either TNT Sports or its streaming platform HBO Max. The move also applies to all three European club competition finals this season, including the Europa League and Conference League deciders.
The Europa League final, featuring Aston Villa against Freiburg, and the Conference League final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano, will also be placed behind the same paywall structure.
According to reports, UEFA is understood to be unhappy with the decision, with internal sources suggesting it conflicts with contractual “best endeavours” obligations to ensure finals are widely accessible to the public.
Since 2015–16, when BT Sport first acquired UEFA broadcasting rights, European finals had been made available free-to-air in the UK, often streamed via digital platforms or YouTube. That practice will now end under Warner Bros Discovery-owned TNT Sports, which has consolidated coverage onto HBO Max following the shutdown of its discovery+ sports offering.
New subscribers will still be able to access the matches at a lower entry price, with HBO Max currently available from around £4.99 per month, while TNT Sports packages on television platforms are priced significantly higher.
Historically, Champions League finals were broadcast free-to-air on ITV from the competition’s rebranding in 1992 until 2003, before a period of shared coverage with Sky Sports until 2015.
TNT Sports will lose UEFA club competition broadcasting rights from the 2027–28 cycle, after Paramount secured Champions League rights and Sky Sports won the Europa League and Conference League packages in last year’s media auction.
The change marks a significant shift in access to one of European football’s biggest annual events, with fans now required to pay to watch all major continental finals in the UK for the first time in decades.