CANAL+ locks up UEFA club football across Africa
CANAL+ has secured exclusive rights to all UEFA men’s club competitions across more than 40 sub-Saharan African markets from 2027 to 2031, extending SuperSport’s coverage and strengthening the group’s premium football proposition following its MultiChoice acquisition.
CANAL+ has acquired exclusive rights in all languages to UEFA’s men’s club competitions across sub-Saharan Africa from the 2027-28 season, securing one of the region’s most valuable sports packages until 2031.The four-season agreement covers the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League across more than 40 countries, with financial terms not disclosed.CANAL+ chief executive Maxime Saada said: “We are very proud of this new partnership, which gives us exclusive rights to all UEFA Men’s Club competitions across more than 40 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.“For four seasons, until 2031, our subscribers will enjoy the thrill of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League biggest matches. Today, CANAL+ offers the most attractive sports line-up across Sub-Saharan Africa, and the acquisition of these rights is a perfect illustration of that.”SuperSport will continue to provide exclusive coverage in English-speaking and Portuguese-speaking markets, preserving the competitions’ long-standing distribution through the platform following CANAL+’s acquisition of MultiChoice.CANAL+ Sport will carry the rights in French-speaking Africa, marking the return of full Champions League coverage to its channels and the first exclusive French-language availability of the Europa League and Conference League.Saada said: “We would like to extend our sincere thanks to UC3 and to the teams at Relevent for once again placing their trust in CANAL+, following our recent agreements in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland and Austria.”The agreement strengthens CANAL+’s ability to bundle premium European football across its enlarged African subscriber base, while giving the group a major retention and acquisition asset in markets where leading European clubs have substantial followings.Its existing portfolio includes the Premier League, LaLiga, Ligue 1, South Africa’s Betway Premiership and the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, with the UEFA package adding high-value midweek inventory across the season.The rights were awarded by UC3, the joint venture created by UEFA and the European Club Association to manage the commercial rights of UEFA club competitions, with Relevent Sports supporting the global sales process.The deal gives CANAL+ control of UEFA club football distribution across both its French-language operations and the SuperSport network until 2031.