Europe’s biggest club competition has started this week and will feature all the biggest clubs around Europe battling it out for UCL glory. The defending Champions Bayern Munich will be looking forward to the tough task ahead of them and will fight till the very end to defend their title. The Champions League has a massive fan following across the globe and attracts some big sponsors to partner with them. Here are all the sponsors associated with this year’s UEFA Champions League:
Nissan – Car Making company Nissan has been in association with the UEFA Champions League since 2014 and had renewed its deal in 2017 to another four years, strengthening their bond with the company even further. The league will have Nissan as it’s sponsor till the 2020/2021 season now. They also had an agreement for the UEFA Super Cup 2018, 2019, and 2020. Nissan will also continue to provide UEFA with vehicles throughout the season; providing top class transportation as an integral part of the guest experience around matches.
PS5 – The UEFA Champions League also has a partnership with PlayStation and had renewed the association in 2018, which makes them partners till 2021. The deal also consists of rights for the UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Youth League, and the UEFA Futsal Champions League. PlayStation, too, has been a long-term brand association for the UCL, which started in 1997. This deal really helps UEFA in promoting their competitions globally and attracts even more fan following to it.
Gazprom – Russian energy firm Gazprom has also extended their partnership with the league till the 2020/21 season, which included rights for the UEFA Super cup from 2018-21. They have been in the association since 2012 and will be looking forward to being partners with the leading firm in the future as well.
PepsiCo – PepsiCo has been a great partner for football competitions worldwide and has decided to extend its partnership with UEFA, which started in 2015, till the 2020/21 season, and help promote the tournament through on-pack promotions as well as many other exciting activities for the fans. One such example is its promotion of the league through its product Lay’s.
Banco Santander – Banco Santander, which is a leading retail and commercial bank founded in 1857, had been announced as partners with the UEFA Champions League from the start of the 2018/19 season and will continue to be their sponsor till the 2020/21 season. With 131 million customers, it has a meaningful market share in 10 core countries in Europe and America. It is among the world’s top banks by market value, making it an excellent partner of the most prestigious club football competition in Europe.
Mastercard – American Multinational Company Mastercard have decided to extend their long-term partnership with the UEFA Champions League for the cycle of 2021-2024. For any successful partnership to develop, longevity is the most important aspect one has to look for. This partnership between the UEFA Champions League and Mastercard has been there since 1994 and will hopefully continue for the years to come.
Expedia – Expedia group’s brand Expedia and Hotels.com had signed a three-year partnership deal with the UEFA Champions League in 2018, keeping them partners till the 2020/21 season. They are a leading global travel platform operating an extensive portfolio of travel-related brands and businesses. Brand Expedia is a full-service online travel brand offering travelers a wide range of services across travel products like air, accommodation, car rental, and others, and is available in over 30 countries. Hotels.com gives travelers one of the widest selections of accommodations online via its 90 local websites in 41 different languages.
Heineken – The Dutch brewer Heineken, after having an association with the UEFA Champions League for over a quarter of a century, has decided to extend their partnership for another three years 2023/24 season. The brand will also activate global TV and digitally integrated marketing campaigns by using its global football ambassador, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA EURO winner Thierry Henry – while the major competition will play an important role in supporting Heineken’s European and global business growth objectives.
Other than these brands, Adidas, Macron, and Hublot sponsor the UEFA Champions League. They serve as the official ball sponsor, official sponsor for the Referee Kits, and official time-keeper respectively.
Written By
Shashwat Nishant
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