Haier deal gives UC3 early momentum in UEFA’s next commercial cycle
The Haier deal gives UC3 an early flagship global partner for the 2027–31 UEFA commercial cycle, underlining its strategy of locking in major multinational brands across high-value categories while strengthening the revenue base distributed through European club competitions.
Haier has agreed a four-year global partnership with UC3 covering the UEFA Champions League and other UEFA club competitions, handing the joint UEFA and European Football Clubs venture an important commercial win ahead of the 2027–31 rights cycle.The agreement runs from July 1, 2027 until June 30, 2031 and gives Haier exclusive worldwide rights across home appliances, televisions and commercial display screens. Financial terms were not disclosed.Haier Group vice-president and chief brand officer Wang Meiyan said: “This partnership represents a key milestone in Haier's global brand strategy. The UEFA Champions League brings together millions of fans around the world through a shared pursuit of excellence.”“Through this collaboration, we aim to bring the passion and spirit of champions closer to consumers' everyday life, creating new possibilities through intelligent technologies.”The timing is significant for UC3, which is responsible for selling and managing media, sponsorship and licensing rights across UEFA’s elite men’s and women’s club competitions.Securing a multinational consumer brand more than a year before the agreement begins gives UC3 early visibility over sponsorship revenues for the next commercial cycle and provides a benchmark as it takes additional global categories to market.The structure also reflects UC3’s effort to increase the long-term commercial value of UEFA club competitions by packaging rights across multiple properties rather than relying solely on the Champions League.Haier’s agreement includes the UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Youth League Finals and UEFA Futsal Champions League Finals, giving the company additional inventory and activation opportunities beyond Europe’s leading club competition.UC3 co-managing director Guy-Laurent Epstein said: “We are delighted to welcome Haier as a new global partner of the UEFA Champions League. Its international presence, ability to innovate and ambition to create increasingly relevant experiences for people make Haier an ideal partner for the competition.”The partnership also fits UC3’s wider objective of generating higher commercial returns for European football. Revenue from sponsorship, media and licensing forms part of the financial ecosystem underpinning UEFA club competitions and distributions to participating clubs.Haier brings substantial international scale to that proposition. The company operates across more than 200 countries and regions and generated US$59.8bn in global revenue in 2025.The group is using sport to support a push into higher-value consumer markets, moving beyond basic brand visibility towards deeper engagement around its connected-home and technology products.Haier already has partnerships with Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, alongside investments across cricket, basketball, badminton and marathon running.The Champions League deal therefore serves both sides: Haier gains a globally recognised platform for its premium expansion strategy, while UC3 secures an early category partner as it builds the sponsorship portfolio that will underpin UEFA club competition revenues from 2027.