UEFA has renewed its arrangement with OPPO, a Chinese smart devices manufacturer, covering the full extent of its club tournaments.
OPPO will work with UEFA on viewing experiences, incorporating its AI solutions, smartphones and smartwatches into the equation. UEFA will also support the company’s youth football development programmes.
The arrangement further solidifies the links between UEFA and Chinese enterprises. The continental football governing body has signed deals with some of China’s most prominent enterprises.
This activity saw Alipay, the largest payments provider in both China and the world, partner with UEFA for the 2024 European Championships. Additionally, UEFA has also been engaging extensively with China-based social media platform TikTok for some time.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Marketing Director, said: “Over the past two seasons, OPPO smartphones and technologies have uplifted the UEFA Champions League experience for fans worldwide with their advanced imaging and AI capabilities.
“We now look forward to building on our collaboration to ensure that more people can feel the passion of football and be inspired by the UEFA Champions League.”
The renewed partnership covers the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Youth League for the 2024-27 commercial cycle, with the UEFA Futsal Champions League also included.
With the domestic season now well underway and the Champions League’s league stage – under the new format – due to start next week, UEFA has been shoring up its commercial portfolio.
The governing body has signed deals with the likes of bet365 and Crypto.com – the respective debut betting partner and crypto partner of the league – as well as Lidl, which was a partner of Euro 2024 earlier this year.
Billy Zhang, President of Overseas MKT, Sales and Service at OPPO, said: “Our collaboration with UEFA over the past two years has highlighted our shared values in connecting and inspiring fans of all generations.
“We look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership over the next three years, connecting fans closer to the match through OPPO’s innovations in imaging and AI technologies, and dedicating more resources to helping young players and the broader global football community experience the magic of football.”
