UEFA confirms negotiations following bet365 Champions League renewal rumours
Governing body says it has entered talks with a “selected betting company” over expanded sponsorship arrangement, after a media report last week claimed bet365 close to striking fresh deal
UEFA’s commercial division has announced it has entered an “exclusive negotiation period with a selected betting company” on a wide-ranging sponsorship package.
UC3, which is a JV between UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC) that manages commercial rights to UEFA club competitions, confirmed the process on Monday, 1 June.
The negotiations with the unnamed operator would cover UEFA men’s club competitions from 2027 through to 2031.
UC3 said the deal would encompass the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Super Cup and Futsal Champions League finals.
The discussions have progressed after UC3 and its partner agency, Relevant Football Partners, conducted an initial process.
The confirmation comes after SportBusiness reported late last week that bet365 was in line to retain and expand its role as the official sports betting partner of the Champions League.
The Stoke-on-Trent-based giant penned a three-year deal with European football’s governing body in the summer of 2024.
The agreement, thought to be worth in the region of £150m, made bet365 the Champions League’s first-ever gambling sponsor.
As part of the deal, bet365 was afforded branding opportunities across LED boards, media backdrops and Champions League digital channels. The bookmaker is also able to display official Champions League branding on its site and in its app.
As per the UC3 update, should the negotiations come to fruition, it would mark the first time that UEFA’s club competitions have all been sponsored by the same gambling company.
Currently, Kaizen Gaming’s Betano brand serves as an official global sponsor of the Europa League and Conference league.
That agreement, signed in 2024, runs until the end of the 2026-27 season.
In Greece and Cyprus, Stoiximan, which Kaizen Gaming operates on a B2B basis, appears as the sponsor for both competitions.
Prior to Betano securing the commercial deal, Entain’s bwin had partnered Europa League and Conference league.
Bet365 sponsored the Super Cup, which sees the winners of the Champions League and Europa League clash in a one-off tie, during the 2025 edition between PSG and Spurs.
The privately owned operator is also listed as an official global sponsor of the Futsal Champions League finals.
Bet365 went live in France last week with the bet365.fr web domain.
The operator has entered the market with sports betting, though plans are in place to launch online poker and horseracing products in due course.
UC3 will be looking to secure additional income via the new gambling deal, having closed a significant partnership with Chinese conglomerate Alibaba Group last Friday, 29 May.
Alibaba was named global AI, cloud computing and ecommerce partner for UEFA men’s club competitions from 2027 to 2033, as well as Euro 2028.