How to watch Premier League 2025-26 on Abema
The Premier League is one of the most exciting football leagues in the world. It keeps fans entertained with thrilling matches and top players. The 2025-26 season will begin on August 15, 2025, and many fans in Japan are looking forward to watching the games. In past seasons like 2022-23 and 2023-24, ABEMA showed some Premier League matches. This article will help you understand how to watch the 2025-26 Premier League in Japan and explain why U-NEXT is now the main place to watch it.
Broadcasting Rights for Premier League 2025-26
For the 2025-26 season, U-NEXT has the only rights to show Premier League games in Japan. They will broadcast all 380 matches. In past seasons, ABEMA showed some games, especially ones with Japanese players like Kaoru Mitoma and Takehiro Tomiyasu. However, several websites such as spocale.com, goal.com Japan, sky7fc.com, and SportBusinessconfirm that ABEMA no longer has those rights for 2025-26 and 2025-26. U-NEXT signed a long-term deal that runs from the 2025-26 season to the 2030-31 season. This means only U-NEXT can show Premier League matches in Japan during that time.
Why ABEMA Is No Longer an Option
In the past, ABEMA was a popular way for people in Japan to watch Premier League games. For example, in the 2022-23 season, ABEMA showed 114 matches through a deal with SPOTV Now, according to SportsMint Media. In the 2023-24 season, ABEMA streamed 141 matches, mostly featuring big teams and Japanese players. These matches were watched over 26 million times, reported ABEMA Times. But things have changed now. U-NEXT got the full rights to show Premier League games starting in the 2025-26 season. So far, there is no sign that ABEMA will get these rights back or make another deal for the 2025-26 season, according to mixch.tv.
How to Watch the Premier League on U-NEXT
U-NEXT is a popular streaming service in Japan. It offers many types of content like movies, TV shows, anime, and sports. To watch the 2025-26 Premier League season, fans must subscribe to the Soccer Pack, which costs 2600 yen per month. This plan gives access to:
- All 380 Premier League games, both live and recorded.
- Other football events, like the FA Cup.
- Catch-up and highlight features, great for fans who miss live matches.
New users can try U-NEXT for free for 31 days with the basic plan. This trial includes 600 points when you sign up. But to watch the Soccer Pack, you’ll need to pay extra. As per spocale.com, combining the basic plan with the Soccer Pack gives you 1200 yen in points each month. These points can help reduce costs on other U-NEXT content.
Subscription Steps
To start watching the Premier League on U-NEXT, follow these steps:
- Visit the U-NEXT website.
- Sign up for a new account or log in if you already have one.
- Subscribe to the Soccer Pack plan for 2600 yen per month.
- Enjoy live streaming of all Premier League matches, starting with the season opener on August 15, 2025, featuring Liverpool vs. AFC Bournemouth.
U-NEXT Soccer Pack Details
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Cost | 2600 yen per month |
| Content | All 380 Premier League matches, FA Cup, highlights, and catch-up playback |
| Free Trial | 31-day free trial for new U-NEXT standard plan subscribers |
| Additional Benefits | 1200 yen worth of points monthly when combined with standard plan |
| Availability | Live and on-demand streaming on mobile, desktop, and smart TVs |
Alternative Viewing Options
U-NEXT has the exclusive rights to show Premier League matches in Japan from the 2025-26 season until 2030-31. This means no other legal streaming service in Japan can show all the games. In the past, services like SPOTV Now and DAZN had the rights, and ABEMA showed some games too. But according to sky7fc.com, U-NEXT’s deal now stops other services, including ABEMA, from showing matches in the 2025-26 season.
If U-NEXT decides to share the rights with other platforms like ABEMA or DAZN in the future, things could change. However, as of August 4, 2025, no such deals have been made.
Fans who want to watch free highlights can use the BBC’s Match of the Day show, which is available in the UK. But this show is not available in Japan unless you use a VPN. U-NEXT might offer highlight clips as part of its Soccer Pack in Japan, but no clear information is available yet.
Conclusion
Japanese fans who want to watch the Premier League 2025-26 season can use U-NEXT’s Soccer Pack. It’s the only legal way to watch all 380 matches, and it costs 2600 yen each month. ABEMA showed the games in past seasons, but it doesn’t have the rights for 2025-26. U-NEXT offers full coverage, a free trial, and more football content, making it a great choice for fans. You can sign up on U-NEXT to watch every Premier League match.
Check Also: How to watch Premier League 2025-26 on Digicel
