UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, has taken its media rights tender covering club competitions in the 2024-27 cycle to sub-Saharan Africa shortly after world governing body FIFA opened two tender processes in the region for its next two World Cups.

Swiss-based UEFA initiated a tender process in that market yesterday (November 27) for broadcast rights covering the next three seasons of its top-tier Champions League (UCL), second-tier Europa League, and third-tier Europa Conference League (to be renamed the Conference League from 2024-25).

The sales are being handled by Team Marketing, UEFA’s partner agency for media and commercial rights sales across its club competitions. All inquiries should, therefore, be directed to info@team.ch, with a deadline for submissions of December 11.

During the current 2021-22 to 2023-24 cycle, UCL media rights in that part of Africa are held by a combination of the SuperSport (English-language) and Canal Plus (French-language) pay-TV broadcasters.

This UEFA tender follows on from world soccer governing body FIFA also taking a media rights process to sub-Saharan Africa, for its men's and women's World Cups in 2026 and 2027.

This means that UEFA and FIFA will in effect be going head-to-head in terms of securing bids from broadcasters for their top-tier properties.

There are currently numerous players from the region competing across this season’s UCL.

In North Africa, meanwhile, UCL rights during 2021-24 are held by Qatar-based sports broadcaster BeIN.

The most recent tender UEFA has launched outside Europe for its 2024-27 club competition rights came in Canada, with that process having begun on November 6 and having a bid deadline of December 4.

Australia and the US are among the markets where deals have been agreed outside of Europe.

On the continent, meanwhile, an Albanian tender process began on November 7.