Women’s Champions League Final: How the women's game is championing the fan experience

When it comes to football, there is an undeniable momentum in the women’s game - a shift that has been particularly felt in the UK following the Lioness's back-to-back Euros wins.

Although looking beyond, this energy can be felt around the world as women’s football is projected to be one of the most followed sports globally by the end of the decade, a 30 per cent rise in global broadcast audience across major tournaments is expected by 2030 according to a report by Nielsen Sport.

Notably, streaming service Disney+ secured the rights to broadcast UEFA Women's Champions League matches live across Europe from 2025/26 to 2029/30.

"The UEFA Women’s Champions League has seen exceptional growth in recent years, with record-breaking attendance, rising standards, and increasing global interest. These new broadcast deals not only reflect this but are important milestones in the continued development of women’s football in Europe, underscoring its growing importance and appeal to fans worldwide," said Guy-Laurent Epstein, Co-Managing Director, UC3 when this news was announced last year.

With these aspects in mind, the fan experience has never been more important in order for the sport to reach a wider audience and ultimately its predicted potential - and with that our eyes turn to the UEFA Women's Champions League final which took place in Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadion last month.

Alexia Putellas of FC Barcelona battles for possession with Lindsey Heaps of Olympique Lyonnais during the UEFA Women's Champions League Final 2026 match between FC Barcelona and OL Lyonnes at Ullevaal Stadion on May 23, 2026 in Oslo, Norway. Maja Hitij/Getty Images

Although no English teams made it to the final, it promised to be an entertaining match as Barcelona faced OL Lyonnes. Both teams had 11 Champions League titles between them, and this was the fourth final between them, a joint-record with OL Lyonnes vs Wolfsburg.

OL Lyonnes won the first two deciders but in the most recent, Barcelona came out on top, so this final was going to be an interesting clash between the two European heavyweights who won their respective domestic leagues this season.

“It’s been a long time since they’ve lifted [the trophy] so I think it’s a big opportunity for them,” said Chelsea player Ellie Carpenter on her previous club OL Lyonnes, in a press conference at the Nobel Peace Center. She also noted how her former side have had a “great season” with “great players”.

(L-R) Chelsea player Ellie Carpenter who previously played for OL Lyonnes and London City Lioness player Jana Fernandez who used to play for BarcelonaPhoto by Maja Hitij/Getty Images, and Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Then there’s the added layer of OL Lyonnes coach Jonatan Giráldez attempting to defeat his former side after he led Barcelona to two consecutive Women's Champions League titles in 2023 and 2024.

“It’s going to be interesting,” commented London City Lionesses and ex Barcelona player, Jana Fernandez ahead of the game. “Those two have worked together and they’ve won together Champions League, so it’s going to be interesting to see how they want to find their weak spots… a tough one for both of them.”

But before we headed to the ground, the anticipation of the final could be felt around the city, particularly with the Fan Festival where inside fans could get the chance to look at and have their photo taken with the tournament trophy.

Sinead Butler

If you wanted to channel your inner football pundit, or walk out of the tunnel like one of the players, the Disney+ activation provided some entertaining photo and video opportunities (for the latter you had to walk on a treadmill with a green screen to create the desired effect).

There were plenty of fans repping their team - including an adorable dog with a Barcelona jersey.

Sinead Butler

The Fan Festival also included the House of We Play Strong at Rådhusplassen which brought together players and fans of all ages for activities like footy-based challenges, meet-and-greets with players such as Jana Fernandez, Melvine Malard, Laia Alexandria and Cathinka Tandberg and other fun activities such as themed stick-on tattoos, mini matches, and more - all for free.

The purpose of WePlayStrong House is "to grow not only the visibility of women's football but also the culture, identity and fandom around it."

Seeing young girls in their footy kits playing and enjoying the space is what the fan experience is all about, and no doubt these fan zones and matches are creating core memories for the youngsters and inspiring the next generation of women football players.

Sinead Butler

We then headed to Ullevaal Stadion where we got to see first-hand how the match is broadcast live and the sheer scale of the output by visiting the media and commentary boxes (even got to try on the headphones and lip-ribbon microphone myself), along with the broadcast studio where Alex Scott, Fara Williams, and Lianne Sanderson were preparing ahead of going live.

Sinead Butler

Watching matches on TV, it’s easy to forget the sheer operation that goes into a live broadcast, especially when it’s a worldwide output. For context, on Disney+ all the Champions League games were available in English, plus the languages of the playing teams, with selected games also offered in more languages such as Swedish, Danish and Polish.

It was then time to head to our seats and with 24,258 fans in attendance, there was a raucous atmosphere - the bellowing chants of the Barca fans, and passionate OL Lyonnes whose drums echoed around the stadium. In the first half of the match, OL Lyonnes were strong out the gate, but Lindsey Heaps's goal in 14th minute was ruled out by VAR as she was flagged in an offside position.

From there the tie remained goalless the rest of the first half, where the French side appeared to be in control.

However, the momentum changed for Barcelona in the second half and their opportunity came in the 55th minute with a goal from Ewa Pajor, she then score a second goal within the next 15 minutes to put the Spanish side 2-0 ahead, as OL Lyonnes appeared to wane.

The LED board shows the total match attendance of 24,258 during the UEFA Women's Champions League Final 2026 matchPhoto by Maja Hitij/Getty Images and Photo by Kate McShane/Getty Images

The goals didn't stop there for Barcelona as Salma Paralluelo bagged a third goal from distance in the 90th minute before adding another on the break three minutes later to end the game in what was an impressive second-half performance from the team to win the trophy.

Chants of "Campeones!" from visiting Barca fans took over the stadium as they shared the victory with their team.

This marks Barcelona's fourth UEFA Women’s Champions League title (previously winning in 2021, 2023 and 2024). Now, they are tied with Frankfurt on four titles - only OL Lyonnes have won more with eight.

A fun-fueled matchday, with unforgettable moments from the fan festival to the behind-the-scenes look at the live broadcast and of course watching the talented teams battle it out, all of this brought home how far women's football has come and how a focus on the experience will only continue to propel the game to new heights.

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