David Beckham to host 'Beckham and Friends' on Paramount+ for UEFA Champions League semifinals, final

Soccer superstar David Beckham will host "Beckham and Friends," an alternative live broadcast during the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League as part of CBS Sports' coverage of Europe's top club competition.

Beckham and Friends will air during the second legs of both Champions League semifinals in 2025 and 2026, as well as the final in both years. The show will air on Paramount+ as a complement to CBS Sports' broadcast of the competition and will see Beckham engage with figures from the worlds of sports, entertainment and more as the games play out.

Beckham, a Champions League winner in 1999 with Manchester United, announced the news in an unexpected guest appearance on the UEFA Champions League Today pre-match show, surprising hosts Kate Abdo, Jamie Carragher, Thierry Henry and Micah Richards as he crept onto the set. He used the opportunity to offer a preview of "Beckham and Friends," which will feature a mix of people from the worlds of sports, entertainment and more.

"I think each time [it] will be a different personality and person, a friend of mine," he said. "I love watching the game and I like watching the game in a certain way, and most of the time it's either with my kids or with my friends so it's going to be that kind of thing where I'm sat there, watching the games, commenting on the games with friends, talking about the game."

The retired England international said some guests are lined up but would not share names, though said one might be in the entertainment industry. He did confirm that it would not be Tom Brady, the former NFL star who he sat next to at Birmingham City's win over Wrexham in League One action Monday.

Beckham also used the surprise guest appearance to deliver gifts from his bee garden and banter with the hosts telling the group that "the Manchester United fan" Abdo is his favorite after Richards asked and sharing that he explained the expletive-laden chants Brady received the night before from Wrexham fans. Liverpool legend Carragher also teased Beckham about United's failure to qualify for this season's Champions League competition, referencing the two clubs' fierce rivalry.

He also broke into analyst mode shortly before he left, offering a preview of sorts for "Beckham and Friends" as he talked about the chances of his former club, Real Madrid, to repeat as Champions League winners.

"It's been a tough start to the season for them," he said. "They've obviously brought a few new players and obviously seeing Kylian [Mbappe] come in, it's going to take him time, with any great team, to figure out that balance but I'm excited. I'm excited about seeing Real Madrid this season. Once they come together, I think it's going to be incredible."

He also gave a positive verdict on Mbappe's impact at Real Madrid shortly before he scored his first Champions League goal for the club in their 3-1 win over Stuttgart.

"He's a special player, a special person," Beckham said. "So I don't think he's going to have any problems."