September 14 – Vodafone is buying into men’s and women’s football in Europe with a new partnership covering both the men’s Champions League and UEFA’s Women’s Football.

The partnership with the Champions League will cover the next two seasons.

The deal with UEFA’s Women’s Football is much wider in and runs until 2030 and covers 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.

Vodafone is launching a Champions Travel eSIM, for the start of the league phase of the Champions League, to support travelling fans internationally.

The Champions Travel eSIM will provide global data connectivity in 206 countries, including UEFA’s 55 member associations with unlimited data and multiple top up options, the opportunity to create Wi-Fi hotspot zones and a dedicated customer service desk.

Champions Travel eSIM customers can win free match tickets with further fan engagement activations planned.

The sponsorship of the men’s Champions League marks a return to UEFA having been an Official Partner and Official Mobile Network of the UEFA Champions League for the three seasons from 2006/07, to 2008/09. That sponsorship focussed on providing mobile content, such as goal alerts and video highlights, for fans.

The new sponsorship activation focuses on usage and engagement rather than new sing-ups. Vodafone’s sponsorship entry into the European women’s game is new.

Ahmed Essam (pictured centre), 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 been increasing is re-engagement with European football having  announced a 5-year shirt sponsorship of Borussia Dortmund. Vodafone also has partnerships with the Wimbledon tennis championships, Scottish Rugby, The Welsh Rugby Union and The Irish Rugby Football Union, Turkish Women’s Volleyball and RunCzech, the Czech Republic’s largest running series.

Nadine Kessler (pictured left), 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 (Vodafone’s)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.”

Vodafone joins Amazon (which extended its own deal in July) and PepsiCo, for the 2025-30 UEFA women’s commercial rights cycle.

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