Vodafone is entering European football with a big new agreement that will support both the UEFA Men’s Champions League and UEFA Women’s Football, representing a significant investment in the sport’s future across both men’s and women’s championships.
The association with the Champions League will last two seasons. The agreement with UEFA‘s Women’s Football extends until 2030 and includes the Women’s Champions League, Women’s EURO 2029, Women’s Futsal EURO 2027, Women’s Nations League, Women’s European Qualifiers, Women’s Under-19 Championship, and Women’s Under-17 Championship.
In this deal, Vodafone is offering a Champions Travel eSIM to enable foreign travelling fans as the league phase of the Champions League begins. The Champions Travel eSIM will offer global data access in 206 countries, comprising UEFA’s 55 member associations, with unlimited data and several top-up choices, the capacity to establish Wi-Fi hotspot zones, and a dedicated customer support desk. Champions Travel eSIM users can obtain free match tickets, along with other fan interaction activities planned.
The sponsorship of the men’s Champions League represents the brand’s return to UEFA after serving as an official partner and official mobile network of the UEFA Champions League for three seasons from 2006-07 to 2008-09. That partnership aimed to provide supporters with mobile information like as goal notifications and video highlights. The sponsored activation prioritises usage and engagement above new sign-ups. Vodafone’s sponsorship of the European women’s game is new.
Ahmed Essam, CEO of European Markets at Vodafone, said, “We are excited to sponsor women’s football, which is one of the fastest growing sports globally. As an official licensee of the men’s flagship club competition, Vodafone will help to further enhance the experience for fans, and we will launch the Champions Travel eSIM, with a range of benefits for football fans around the world.”
Vodafone has recently strengthened its re-engagement with European football by announcing a five-year jersey sponsorship of Borussia Dortmund. Vodafone also has relationships with the Wimbledon, Scottish Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union, and the Irish Rugby Football Union, as well as Turkish Women’s Volleyball and RunCzech, the Czech Republic’s largest running competition.
Nadine Kessler, UEFA Women’s Football Director, said, “The meteoric rise of the women’s game, highlighted by the record-breaking success of this summer’s UEFA Women’s EURO, is undeniable, and it continues to attract some of the world’s most recognisable brands eager to be a part of this groundbreaking moment. Their commitment and global reach make them an ideal ally as we work together to keep pushing the game forward, creating more opportunities for women and girls, and inspiring the next generation of fans and players around the world.”
