Disney is looking to expand its sports content for Europe as it has secured the rights to UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League football for Disney+ in Sweden and Denmark.

This new deal will cover two seasons, 2024/25 and 2026/27 and will include 342 matches and 72 clubs competing across group stages and knock-out phases, over a total of 19 match weeks.    These games will be offered as part of the Disney+ subscription, so it won’t cost any more money.

Hans van Rijn, CEO, The Walt Disney Company Nordic & Baltic said in a statement:

We are thrilled to offer this to our Disney+ customers in Denmark and Sweden who can look forward to the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League alongside our unparalleled series and movies at no extra cost to their subscription. Our rich heritage in sports through ESPN underscores our commitment to creating a high-quality production for the players, the fans, and our Disney+ customers.”

hese leagues combined are the international football tournaments with most local Danish and Swedish teams and local Danish and Swedish players and adding them to the service together brings a whole new level of variety to customers in Denmark and Sweden. Our mission is to super serve the communities and fans that are passionate about the game, while broadening the audience for the tournaments in Denmark and Sweden, building a new generation of fans and supporters.”  

 While it has released some sports documentaries like “Welcome To Wrexham” and “Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story”, this is the first major push into live sports for Disney+ in the European region.   

Disney has been committed to making sports content an important part of its content strategy.  Next year, Disney is going to be launching a full version of an ESPN direct-to-consumer service, which will also be available within Disney+ in the United States.

And this June, Disney+ in Latin America is going to get a new ESPN hub as part of its merger with Star+.   And Disney+ Hotstar in India already offers some live sports like cricket and Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia offers WWE content.

Last year, Disney shut down its ESPN Player streaming app, which offered a wide selection of sports programming across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. However, Disney has yet to announce any plans to bring this content back to the region, so this announcement of a deal to offer live football in Sweden and Denmark looks to be a major change in Disney’s sports coverage.   This could open the door for Disney’s other sports content, such as college sports and American football, plus other ESPN content, to come to Disney+ across the region.

With most other streaming services offering live sports as part of their content, it looks like Disney is also going to follow suit.  Unfortunately, UEFA is licensing out its football rights on a country-by-country basis, so this is why not every country in Europe will get access.

Do you think Disney+ should provide live sports?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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