Hyundai Motor Company has expanded its global sports sponsorship portfolio by becoming the official automotive partner of the UEFA Champions League in a five-season agreement running from the 2026-27 campaign through 2030-31.
The partnership, secured through UC3, UEFA’s joint venture with European Football Clubs, begins as the new Champions League season gets underway tonight, with marquee Matchday 1 fixtures including Real Madrid vs Inter, Porto vs Manchester City and Napoli vs Arsenal, and Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid. The 36-team league phase runs from September 8, 2026 to January 27, 2027.
For Hyundai, the partnership provides a competition-wide European platform at a significant point in its product strategy. The company will use the association to engage supporters through fan experiences, customer and retailer activities, while showcasing its evolving mobility portfolio and technology ambitions.
The all-electric IONIQ 3 will be the first Hyundai model to feature prominently in the partnership. Designed and developed in Europe, the compact hatchback offers up to 497km of WLTP range, a 0.263 Cd drag coefficient and 441 litres of boot capacity. It is also the first battery-electric vehicle to enter production at Hyundai’s İzmit facility in Türkiye.
IONIQ 3 is the first of five major models Hyundai plans to launch in Europe during the 2026-27 season, giving the Champions League partnership a direct role in the company’s upcoming product cycle.
José Muñoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, said, “Football has been part of Hyundai for almost 30 years. It brings people together like almost nothing else, across languages and borders and generations. The UEFA Champions League is the best club football in the world, played every week in front of the most passionate fans in Europe. Following Hyundai’s engagement at the World Cup this summer, the UEFA Champions League is an ideal platform to show our beautifully designed vehicles with features fans love. I am from Madrid, so I have watched this competition my whole life. I’m personally excited about engaging with fans across Europe. It’s a great time to celebrate the beautiful game with Hyundai.”
Hyundai Motor Europe President and CEO Xavier Martinet added, “The UEFA Champions League and Hyundai are both driven by progress, performance, and the ambition to bring people together. We are entering this partnership with our strongest line-up yet. IONIQ 3 is the first of five new models we are launching in Europe this season, designed and developed for our customers here in the region, and it is the car that leads our lineup for the future.”
Guy-Laurent Epstein, Co-Managing Director, UC3, continued, “We are delighted to welcome Hyundai as an official partner of the UEFA Champions League. Hyundai has a proud history of supporting football at the highest level and a clear belief in its power to bring people together. We look forward to building a partnership that brings that shared ambition to life for fans around the world over the coming years.”
The agreement further strengthens Hyundai’s already extensive sports portfolio, which includes partnerships across football, cricket and archery. The company is also an ICC premier partner and has extended its World Archery partnership through 2028.
The Champions League deal, however, gives Hyundai one of its broadest European sports platforms yet, combining global football exposure with product launches and its wider push into electrification, software, robotics and smart mobility.
