Why the Champions League final has quietly become the biggest club game on the planet

Arsenal face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League Final on May 30, in what is widely regarded as the biggest match in club football.

The Champions League final now attracts a bigger global audience than the Super Bowl, with last season's final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan watched by an estimated 430 million people across more than 200 territories, while the 2023 final between Manchester City and Inter drew an even larger audience of around 450 million.

By comparison, Super Bowl LX in February recorded 125.6 million viewers in the United States across NBC, Peacock, Telemundo and NFL+.

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Why the gap?

The Champions League final airs on free-to-air channels in France, Italy, Germany and Spain, guaranteeing mass access in the largest European markets, whilst it is also broadcast across Asia, Africa, South America and the Middle East.

With the final scheduled for Saturday evening in European prime time, the timing window accommodates those from America to Asia compared to the Super Bowl's US-favoured slot.

What about live audiences?

Around 125 million Americans watch live at the same moment, more than any other single broadcast on US television.

However, the Champions League final's live average is roughly 150 million worldwide,.

Undoubtedly, the Super Bowl is the biggest single-broadcast live event in television, while the Champions League final is the biggest global club event by total reach.

Arsenal and the financial weight of the final

The scale of the competition is reflected in the prize money on the table. Arsenal, who reached this year's final after a 2-1 aggregate win over Atletico Madrid, have already banked more than £122m ($166m) from their run so far. Victory over PSG is worth a further £10m ($13.6m).

Arsenal's Champions League earnings from this run alone are already more than double the prize money on offer to the Premier League champions, underlining how the European game has outgrown its national leagues commercially as well as in audience terms.

How does it compare in the United States?

In America, the Champions League final remains a smaller product. The 2025 final averaged 2.04 million viewers on CBS, the network's lowest figure since acquiring the rights in 2021. 

CBS has seen two million viewers for five consecutive finals, and the expansion of football's footprint in the US, driven in part by next summer's home World Cup, suggests the audience is growing.