Women’s Champions League hits new audience benchmark, says UEFA

FC Barcelona's Irene Paredes lifts the trophy as she celebrates winning the UEFA Women's Champions League with her teammates. REUTERS

The audience for the Women’s Champions League surged in the 2025/26 season, with viewership more than doubling and expected to reach at least 44.5 million, European football’s governing body UEFA said in a report.

More than 39.7 million viewers tuned in across the competition before the final, while matches were broadcast in 207 territories, with 30 free-to-air partners showing the final, making it the most widely available title match to date, the report added.

Social media engagement also climbed sharply, with 947 million video views (+50 percent year-on-year), 1.49 billion impressions (+44 percent) and 52 million engagements (+16 percent).

UEFA said nearly half of all matches (49 percent) were decided by a single goal or drawn, while 33 percent featured comebacks, highlighting increased competitive balance in the revamped format.

“From a sporting perspective, the level has been outstanding and from a viewership perspective the competition has set a new benchmark for the women’s club game,” Nadine Kessler, UEFA’s Women’s Football Director, said.

“And of course, the final itself, another sold-out occasion in a historic women’s football nation like Norway, delivered everything we hoped for and more.”

The season concluded on May 23 when a sold-out crowd at Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadion saw Barcelona beat Olympique Lyonnais to lift the trophy.