By Staff Reporter
Nairobi, Kenya — CANAL+ has secured exclusive rights to all UEFA Men’s Club competitions across Sub-Saharan Africa for four seasons, in a major expansion of its sports broadcasting portfolio.
The agreement will take effect in mid-2027 and will give CANAL+ exclusive rights, in all languages, to broadcast the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League across more than 40 countries in the region until 2031.
The deal is expected to bring some of Europe’s biggest football clashes and leading clubs to CANAL+ subscribers, featuring global stars including Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Serhou Guirassy, Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo, Antoine Semenyo, Nicolas Jackson, Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Lamine Yamal, Erling Haaland, Michael Olise, Achraf Hakimi and Harry Kane.
Different Coverage Across African Markets
In English- and Portuguese-speaking Africa, SuperSport, the long-standing broadcaster of UEFA competitions, will continue to provide exclusive coverage of the UEFA Men’s Club competitions to its subscribers.
In French-speaking Africa, the agreement will see the return of full UEFA Champions League coverage on CANAL+ Sport channels. For the first time, CANAL+ will also offer the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League exclusively in French.
The new agreement adds to an already extensive football offering across CANAL+ and SuperSport platforms, including the Premier League, LALIGA EA SPORTS, Ligue 1 and the Betway Premiership.
The platforms are also broadcasting the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026, which recently kicked off.
CANAL+ Strengthens Premium Sports Offering
CANAL+ said the partnership with UC3 further strengthens its position as a leading provider of premium sports content across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The company said the agreement will give its subscribers access to a broader portfolio of major international football competitions while reinforcing its presence in one of the world’s most passionate football markets.
CANAL+ Chief Executive Officer Maxime Saada welcomed the agreement, describing it as an important addition to the company’s sports offering across the region.
“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,” Saada said.
He added that subscribers would enjoy four seasons of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League until 2031.
“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,” he said.
Saada also thanked UC3 and Relevent for continuing to partner with CANAL+, following recent agreements covering France, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland and Austria.
CANAL+ Expands Its Global Footprint
CANAL+ is a global media and entertainment company with operations across Europe and Africa. It has more than 40 million subscribers and operates in over 70 countries, with approximately 15,000 employees.
The company operates across the audiovisual value chain, including content production, broadcasting, distribution and aggregation. Its operations include pay-TV and streaming services across Europe, Africa and Asia.
The wider CANAL+ Group includes MultiChoice Group, a leading African entertainment platform; STUDIOCANAL, a major European film and television studio; Dailymotion, an international video platform; and CANAL+ Distribution.
The group also operates telecommunications services through CANAL+ Telecom Africa and CANAL+ Telecom in French overseas jurisdictions and territories.
CANAL+ also holds minority stakes in Viaplay, Viu and UGC.
The UEFA rights agreement is expected to further strengthen CANAL+’s position in the African sports broadcasting market as competition for premium football content continues to grow.
