Alipay Strikes Long-Term, US$230m UEFA Sponsorship Deal

The deal for Alipay to become UEFA’s official global payment partner will involve all UEFA national team football competitions from 2018 to 2026, including Euro 2020 and 2024, as well as the new Nations League.

It comes at a time when parent company Alibaba Group is wrestling with weaker revenue growth in the midst of rising trade tensions between China and the United States, despite record sales on Singles’ Day. It is obvious expanding into Europe is part of its internationalisation strategy. The conglomerate’s current global football deals include Alibaba Cloud’s presenting partnership deal with FIFA Club World Cup till 2022. In a deal beginning early 2017, Alibaba is also backing the Olympics till 2028, including the upcoming 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo and 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.

Alipay has more than 700 million active users in China and is only currently available to Chinese residents or bank account holders. The move is in also partly aimed at Chinese tourists travelling to Europe, according to the Financial Times. In its own statement, Alipay said the “aim [is] to bring digital innovation to football fans, enhance their on-site experience and provide seamless payment and other services to fans in Europe and across the world”.

Eric Jing, executive chairman and chief executive of Ant Financial, said: “We will empower UEFA to engage with football fans around the world through digital platforms and help UEFA reach and interact with a potential audience of billions in Asia.”

According to the ASN Index, Alipay has a mere 0.1% share for its category in the Asian sponsorship market, its prior low-key sponsorships (~US$50k range) being Resorts World Sentosa’s theatrical production Flying Through Time and this year’s Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival.   These collaborations are certain to rise in the upcoming quarters as Alipay expands across the Southeast Asia market.