Japanese broadcaster WOWOW has secured the rights to broadcast the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) in Japan for the first time as part of a new long-term agreement covering UEFA’s club competitions.
The deal was agreed with UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and the European Club Football (EFC) that manages the commercial strategy, sales and exploitation of media and commercial rights for UEFA club competitions.
Under the agreement, WOWOW will continue to broadcast UEFA’s men’s club competitions in Japan while also adding the UEFA Women’s Champions League to its portfolio. The contract runs until the end of the 2030–2031 season.
WOWOW has been broadcasting UEFA men’s club competitions since the 2020–2021 season, and the new agreement will mark nearly a decade with the broadcaster positioned as “the home of European club football” in Japan.
The contract grants WOWOW rights to air the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Youth League across the Japanese market. In addition, the broadcaster will air the Women’s Champions League for the first time through 2030.
The agreement reflects the growing international interest in women’s football, which has been expanding its audience through broader media exposure.
Recently, Spain’s Liga F has experienced an increase in viewership after four matches per round began being broadcast free-to-air through RTVE and the regional broadcaster 3CAT/TV3, a move implemented from matchday 19 of the competition.
According to the league, the new broadcasting model has significantly strengthened the visibility of the competition and accelerated audience growth. One example was the match between Granada CF and FC Barcelona, which attracted 289,000 average viewers on free-to-air television.
The game also reached 1.01 million unique users across its open broadcasts, including additional distribution through DAZN and Movistar, while 5,100 fans attended the match at the Los Cármenes stadium.
Liga F stated that the new audiovisual landscape not only increases the exposure of clubs and players but also supports the long-term expansion and consolidation of the competition, helping attract new audiences and build a more sustainable growth model.