ARD and ZDF extend women's rights until 2031 – strong signal

In the ARD studio, where the lights flicker over the screens, programme director Christine Strobl announces the continuation of the live broadcast of the German women's football until 2031 – a clear commitment to women's football. She emphasizes that the matches will in the future be shown on Das Erste, in the ARD Mediathek and on radio.

The joint sports rights agency of ARD and ZDF has concluded an exclusive media rights agreement with the DFB for all women's international matches until 2031. This gives the two broadcasters the sole live broadcasting rights.

Scope of the new rights package

The package includes all matches of the UEFA Women's Nations League as well as the qualification and preparatory matches for Euro 2029 and the 2031 World Cup.

ARD and ZDF will broadcast the encounters live on Das Erste, in the ARD Mediathek, on sportschau.de and on radio.

Christine Strobl explained: “By extending our agreement with the DFB we are making a clear statement. We are very pleased to continue to be able to show the German women's football live and comprehensively on Das Erste, in the ARD Mediathek, on radio and in all other ARD and Sportschau offerings.”

The next international match scheduled by ARD is Germany versus Japan on 13 October 2026, kickoff at 17:35 CET from Bremen. The hosts will be Claus Lufen and Almuth Schult, with the on‑site reporter Stephanie Baczyk.

The contract until 2031 underscores the long‑term commitment of the public broadcasters to women's football and guarantees fans continuous coverage during the upcoming Euro and World Cup qualification phases.