Uefa is poised to move beyond the €1bn mark in annual commercial revenue from its club competitions from next year, driven by a sharp increase in sponsorship income and the completion of two more global partnership deals.
The governing body’s commercial joint venture, UC3, which is jointly owned by Uefa and the clubs, is finalising agreements with an official payments provider and a technology partner. Once those deals are in place, Uefa’s roster of premium global sponsors would be complete and sponsorship income would rise by more than 40%.
The increase would mark a significant boost for Uefa’s club competition business, with Champions League clubs among those expected to benefit from the expanded commercial operation.
More partnerships on the way
Uefa has already secured six-year agreements with AB InBev, which will serve as Uefa’s official beer partner, and Pepsi, which will be the soft drinks provider from 2027 to 2033.
Last week, Nike also entered exclusive negotiations to replace Adidas as Uefa’s match ball provider, adding to the run of commercial deals linked to the organisation’s club competitions.
The expected rise in sponsorship income comes as Uefa continues to build out its premium global partnership structure around its leading club tournaments. With the pending agreements close to completion, the organisation is set to take in more than €1bn a year in commercial revenues from club competitions for the first time from next year.
The figure would underline the growing value of Uefa’s club competition portfolio, particularly at a time when major brands are committing to long-term relationships across multiple categories.
For Uefa and its club partners, the new deals represent another step in the commercial expansion of the Champions League and related competitions, with the revenue uplift expected to feed into the wider distribution of funds across the club game.
