Canal Plus has acquired exclusive rights in all languages to UEFA Men's Club competitions across sub-Saharan Africa, locking in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League from mid-2027 until 2031.
The deal matters now because it sets the broadcast map for more than 40 countries years before the first match under the new arrangement is due to air. For viewers and subscribers across the region, it is not just a rights shift; it is a long-term decision about who will carry Europe’s club competitions, and in what languages, when the current cycle rolls over in mid-2027.
The agreement gives Canal Plus control over the full slate of UEFA men's club competitions in the region, and it does so for a stretch long enough to shape distribution strategy well beyond a single season. That is the weight behind the announcement: a defined territory, a defined package and a defined end date in 2031. For anyone tracking where the Champions League and its companion tournaments will be shown, the terms are now set for several years.
But the regional setup is not as clean as the headline suggests. The deal is framed as exclusive for Canal Plus, yet SuperSport will continue to offer exclusivity in a way that points to a split or overlapping distribution structure that has not been fully spelled out. That leaves one practical question unresolved: how the rights will be divided on the ground between the two broadcasters once mid-2027 arrives.
That is the part viewers will watch for next, because the rights period does not begin until mid-2027. Until then, the announcement fixes the destination without fully mapping the route. The key point is already clear, though: by 2031, Canal Plus will have had a long run to define how UEFA’s men’s club competitions are delivered across sub-Saharan Africa.
