Google widens football play with Barcelona Gemini and Pixel deal
Google has expanded its football sponsorship portfolio through a new FC Barcelona agreement covering Gemini and Pixel, adding another elite European club to a strategy that already includes Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Liverpool.
FC Barcelona have signed Google Gemini and Google Pixel as official partners, extending the technology group’s growing investment in football as a platform for consumer AI and mobile products.Gemini becomes Barcelona’s official consumer AI partner, while Pixel takes the role of official mobile phone partner. The agreement covers both the men’s and women’s first teams.Google marketing director Esther Marinas said: “We are thrilled to partner with FC Barcelona, a club that has not only built champions on the pitch but has also defined football culture off it.“By bringing together Google Pixel's hardware and Google Gemini’s capabilities, we want to reimagine what a sports partnership can be.”The partnership will incorporate AI-powered fan experiences, including tools designed to provide new perspectives around matches and help supporters engage with Barcelona content.Pixel will also be used to create exclusive digital material around the club’s men’s and women’s teams, giving Google access to behind-the-scenes content and Barcelona’s global supporter base.Barcelona global sponsorships director Marc Bruix said: “Together, we will offer our fans new ways to connect with the Club, from exclusive digital content captured with Pixel to new AI-powered perspectives through Gemini.”The agreement adds Barcelona to an expanding football portfolio for Google, which has increasingly used major clubs, leagues and women’s football properties to promote its consumer technology brands.Bayern Munich announced a long-term partnership with Google earlier this week, with Gemini becoming the Bundesliga club’s consumer AI partner across their men’s and women’s teams.Pixel has also built established club relationships with Arsenal and Liverpool, positioning Google’s smartphone brand alongside some of the Premier League’s largest international properties.Google has expanded further across women’s football, including partnerships involving the FA and England teams as well as properties in the US and Germany.The Barcelona agreement is notable because it brings Pixel and Gemini together within the same club partnership, extending Google’s football strategy beyond device exposure into AI-led fan engagement.That combination gives Barcelona access to Google technology for new digital products while providing Google with another high-profile global platform for accelerating awareness and adoption of Gemini alongside Pixel.