The UEFA Women's Champions League final, which determines the top women's football club in Europe, will be held on May 24th (Japan time) at the Ulvard Stadium in Oslo, Norway. WOWOW, which will exclusively broadcast the final live, will also be streaming a special program on WOWOW On Demand and the official WOWOW Soccer YouTube channel for free just before the match, which will provide a thorough explanation of key players, highlights, and factors that could determine the outcome.
The final will feature a rematch of the final from two years ago, with Spain's Barcelona, who are aiming for their fourth title after reaching the final for the sixth consecutive year and not winning in two years, and France's powerhouse Lyon, who boast the most titles with eight.
WOWOW will broadcast and stream the UEFA Women's Champions League final, Barcelona vs. Lyon, live on WOWOW Prime and WOWOW On Demand from 12:45 AM on the 24th. Former Japan women's national football team (Nadeshiko Japan) player Aya Samejima will provide commentary, and Momoko Tanikawa, currently playing for FC Bayern Munich and also a member of Nadeshiko Japan, will appear live as a guest commentator.
Tanigawa will also appear in a special program, "[Women's Champions League Final - Just Before the Final!] LIVE Discussing European Women's Football with Japan National Team Player Momoko Tanigawa!", which will be live-streamed from 12:15 AM on the 24th, just before the final. Together with Samejima, she will discuss "the current state of European women's football" from their respective perspectives.
Tanigawa played as a midfielder for Bayern Munich and made a significant contribution to this season's UEFA Women's Champions League, where she was narrowly defeated by Barcelona in the semi-finals, showcasing numerous impressive performances.
◇Comment from Momoko Tanigawa
The UEFA Women's Champions League has always been a dream for me, a special stage that I myself aspire to reach. I'm disappointed that I didn't make it to the final myself, but I'm honored to be involved as a guest commentator. In the final, I'm looking forward to seeing not only the techniques and tactics of the world's top female soccer players, but also their split-second decisions, their strength in tackles, and the tactics that change the flow of the game. This will be my first time doing commentary, so I'm nervous, but I hope to convey to the viewers, from my own perspective, the tension and passion unique to a major title-winning stage, and the true essence of women's soccer.
