The UEFA Women’s Champions League will for the first time feature a 16-team group stage this year, eschewing the old format of jumping right to a 32-team knockout tournament. With some mouthwatering matchups across four groups of four, here’s everything you need to know about how to watch Women's Champions League matches in the U.S. from the group stage forward.
There’s never been a better time to get into the Women’s Champions League. With the men on an international break, the women take center stage. EA Sports may still keep women’s clubs out of its FIFA video games, but it’s never been easier to watch Europe’s premier women’s club competition.
After two fascinating play-in rounds, the group stage is set for the first time. Chelsea-Wolfsburg, PSG-Real Madrid, Bayern Munich-Lyon and Barcelona-Arsenal are just a few of the matchups that are appointment viewing in the group stage.
Last year, Barcelona routed Chelsea 4-0 in the UWCL final, cementing its status as one of the greatest squads in the history of women’s soccer. This year, Barcelona opens its defense against arguably the hottest team in Europe: Arsenal. The Gunners have scored at least three goals in every match so far, including a 3-2 win over Chelsea. Barça’s won every game by at least five goals but has yet to face a team of Arsenal’s quality and has a showdown with Atlético Madrid to think about on the weekend.
Fortunately for fans in the U.S. and around the globe, this will be the most accessible Women’s Champions League yet.
How To Watch Women's Champions League In U.S.
- Streaming: DAZN (YouTube), Atafootball.com
DAZN will distribute all matches from the group stage forward for free on its YouTube platform for international audiences. Atafootball.com will stream 31 of 61 matches to its paid subscribers (unfortunately, Atafootball is no longer free).
Basically, just load up YouTube, navigate to the DAZN UEFA Women’s Champions League channel (click here), find the match you want to watch and go. You can even have YouTube remind you when live broadcasts begin. It couldn’t be much easier.
Do we wish the Women’s Champions League could be broadcast on TV in the U.S.? Sure. But free matches on YouTube is the next best thing.
Previously, Women’s Champions League matches were nearly impossible to watch in the U.S. Most broadcast rights for all matches except the final were given to the home team, which meant a bizarre hodgepodge of streams that were a herculean task to track down. For a little while, CBS All Access (now Paramount+) aired a few games, but no American TV network currently owns broadcast rights.
Because I know you want to watch even more women’s soccer than just the UWCL, here’s a quick rundown on how to watch other women’s soccer leagues in the U.S.
How To Watch Women’s Soccer In The U.S.
- National Women’s Soccer League (USA): CBS, CBSSN, Paramount+, Twitch
- UEFA Women’s Champions League (Europe): DAZN (YouTube), Atafootball
- Women’s Super League (England): NBCSN, NBCSports.com, Peacock, Fanatiz, Atafootball, FA Player
- Internationals: ESPN, FOX, ESPN+
- Division 1 Féminine (France): ESPN+
- W-League (Australia): ESPN+
- Liga MX Femenil (Mexico): Univision, TUDN, Telemundo
- NCAA Division 1: ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPN+