UEFA inks multi-year deal with Alibaba Group

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC), have announced a multi-year partnership with Alibaba Group.

The Chinese e-commerce giant will therefore act as the Official and Exclusive AI, Cloud Computing Services, and E-commerce Partner of UEFA Euro 2028, as well as the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, and the UEFA Conference League for their 2027/28 to 2032/33 editions.

As part of the agreement, Alibaba’s AI tools will help support fan engagement and content management across the UEFA ecosystem through the Qwen large language model (LLM). Alibaba will also power immersive fan and content experiences worldwide across UEFA’s flagship competitions with the help of its cloud computing infrastructure and global e-commerce platform.

Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA President, commented:

“We are delighted to welcome Alibaba as a global partner for UEFA EURO 2028 and as a future partner of our men’s club competitions. Their expertise in artificial intelligence, cloud computing technology, and e-commerce will support UEFA’s commitment to thoughtful innovation and to enhancing the experience of supporters around the world. Together, we can bring fans closer to the game in new and meaningful ways – making our competitions feel even more captivating, engaging and accessible, while preserving the traditions, emotions and spirit that define European football.”

Joe Tsai, Chairman of Alibaba Group, added:

“We believe that football is a shared language around the world, and the unifying power of the game at all levels for all fans is the mission that brings Alibaba and UEFA together. I am excited to work with UEFA to realize the vision of this multi-year partnership, where we will commit our cloud computing, full-stack AI, and global e-commerce capabilities to support UEFA and UC3 to deliver these iconic competitions to global fans.”