Alipay signs long-term deal to become UEFA national team football sponsor

UEFA and Alipay, the world's leading payment and lifestyle platform, are proud to announce a new eight-year global partnership, which will include all UEFA national team football competitions from 2018 to 2026.

The EURO and UEFA Nations League trophies are prevalent at the ceremony©UEFA.com

The agreement means Alipay, which is operated by Ant Financial Services Group, will become UEFA's official global payment partner for prestigious tournaments such as UEFA EURO 2020 and 2024 as well as the UEFA Nations League finals. 

"We are proud to announce this unique and groundbreaking partnership with Ant Financial and Alipay for UEFA's national team competitions," said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, who attended the unveiling of the partnership in Shanghai.

"Alipay is at the forefront of digital payments and in association with its global partners, Alipay has unique connections with over 900 million users. We believe the partnership will further innovate the way in which UEFA engages with football fans around the world."

Mr Čeferin added that UEFA will look to work closely with Alipay to provide a unique digital experience for the hundreds of thousands of football fans who will follow their teams during UEFA EURO 2020 across 12 countries as well as in Germany for UEFA EURO 2024.

Alipay's first four-year cycle as a UEFA national team competitions sponsor will involve a total of eight competitions, spanning 420 matches and having an estimated total live audience of 7.4 billion people.

With over 700 million active users in China, Alipay will also become UEFA's official global digital wallet provider and the organisation's official global FinTech partner. As global leaders in the field of digital finance technology and mobile payment, Alipay and Ant Financial aim to bring digital innovation to football fans, enhance their onsite experience and deliver seamless payment and other services to fans in Europe and throughout the world.

"We are thrilled to work with UEFA to bridge the world through the common language of football. We will empower UEFA to engage with football fans around the world through digital platforms and help UEFA reach and interact with billions of potential audience in Asia," said Eric Jing, executive chairman and chief executive officer of Ant Financial. "By partnering with UEFA, we hope to share the passion and happiness of football with more people across the world and bring them the benefits of digital life."

Alipay becomes UEFA's third national team sponsor, which will feature at UEFA EURO 2020, after Volkswagen and Booking.com signed deals until 2022.

Note to editors:
CAA Eleven is the exclusive marketing agency of UEFA appointed to manage commercial rights to UEFA national team football competitions, including the UEFA European Football Championship; the UEFA Nations League; the European Qualifiers; the UEFA European Under-21 Championship; UEFA Women's EURO; and the UEFA European Futsal Championship.