Extensive international deal
RTL shows DFB games until 2028
05/03/2022, 10:00 a.m
In 2022, the German national soccer team is working on its very big goal: the world championship title in December. While hard work is still being done on the future of the DFB team, there is already celebration in Cologne: RTL announces an extremely successful conclusion for the station.
The future of the German national soccer team will be shaped by national coach Hansi Flick in the coming months on the way to the World Cup in Qatar and beyond. The future has already been clarified in another important area: half of the games of the DFB team will be played shown on RTL until 2028. As the broadcaster reports, he has agreed with UEFA on the most comprehensive international match package in the history of RTL.
This includes half of all DFB-A international matches up to 2028 in the UEFA Nations League and in the European qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and UEFA EURO 2028. In addition, there are friendlies for coach Hansi Flick’s team and final round matches in the UEFA Nations League without German participation.
The TV future of the DFB team starts in a top-class manner: At the start of the UEFA Nations League, the team, for which the fifth World Cup title should be at the end of the year, meets Italy on June 4th and Italy on June 11th. RTL will broadcast the games live on free TV and in the live stream on RTL+ at 8.15 p.m.
“Everyone wants to be world champion”
In Cologne, people are extremely happy about the coup. Matthias Dang and Stephan Schäfer, co-managing directors of RTL Germany, announced in a statement from the broadcaster: “Sport is just as much a part of RTL as independent news and positive entertainment. And football is one of the brightly lit campfires of our time, especially when the German national team is playing We are very pleased to be able to accompany Hansi Flick’s team on their path for many years to come with this large rights package.”
In 2022, the German national team, which needs another big success after recent disappointing tournaments, will not only have top-class duels in the Nations League, but also the ultimate highlight of the season with the World Cup in November and December in Qatar. The goals for this have already been formulated precisely and unequivocally at the DFB: “Everyone wants to be there in Qatar. Everyone wants to be world champion. That is our big goal. said.
The national coach, who took over the national team from Joachim Löw after the disappointing EURO 2020, is gathering his team again for a longer period of time in Herzogenaurach for the first two games of the Europa League. DFB outfitter Adidas had created an oasis of well-being for professional footballers there for the European Championship. “We not only want to lay the foundation there for a successful season in the UEFA Nations League, but national coach Hansi Flick will also swear his players in for the World Cup in Qatar in winter in view of the short preparation time,” said DFB director Oliver Bierhoff .
On the way to Qatar – apart from the first games of the Nations League – other test games will also be shown on RTL. The Cologne team had signed Lothar Matthäus as an expert last year. The record national player, who has been friends with national coach Flick since their time together at Bayern Munich, announced when he “takes office” that he will “follow the games objectively as usual, but also critically if necessary. But I hope the team will be able to build on previous successes.”
With the beginning of the Flick era, Matthäus’ wishes were fulfilled: Hansi Flick’s seven-game winning streak only ended with the 1-1 draw against the Netherlands. It was the most successful start that a German national coach had ever made. Now you want to start a new series, at the provisional climax of which is the world title.
UEFA sold huge rights package
Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Marketing Director, on the deal: “We are delighted to extend the partnership for the German national team with RTL in the long term until 2028.” UEFA had put up for sale a huge rights package covering more than 1,200 games across Europe.
In addition to the games from the new rights package, RTL will also broadcast numerous games from the home European Championship in 2024. In March 2021, RTL Germany and Deutsche Telekom, as the rights holders, had already agreed on the sub-licensing of 14 games in the group phase, two rounds of 16 and one quarter-final exclusively on free TV on RTL and in the live stream on RTL+.
The rights package that RTL has now acquired contains half of the games played by the German national team, and no other broadcaster shows more games played by the DFB team. These include the UEFA Nations League 2022, 2024 & 2026, the test matches for UEFA EURO 2024, the European Qualifiers & test matches for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and UEFA EURO 2028. “We are convinced that RTL will offer fans of the German national team an excellent TV and digital platform and look forward to exciting football evenings on RTL,” the broadcaster quoted Epstein in his message. In the current season, RTL is also broadcasting Europa League and Europa Conference League games.