International beverage giant AB InBev is now in exclusive negotiations to become a global partner for the next cycle of UEFA men's club soccer competitions.
AB InBev was unveiled as having entered an exclusive negotiation period with European soccer's UEFA governing body yesterday, covering the 2027-33 commercial cycle.
It now looks set to become the global official beer partner for all UEFA club competitions for six seasons, with negotiations now taking place between AB InBev and UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and the European Football Clubs (EFC) body.
Should a deal be struck, AB InBev will replace Dutch brewing giant Heineken, which has been UEFA's beer sponsor for its array of club competitions since the early 1990s. The last renewal between those two parties was unveiled in September 2023 and has been reported as worth $128 million per year.
This marks the first global sponsorship sales process for the next UEFA club competitions cycle - a bidding process was launched by UC3 in early October, with assistance from UEFA's partner agency for those properties, Relevent Sports (and specifically, by the Relevent Football Partners division).
The list of club competitions will include the top-tier UEFA Champions League, second-tier UEFA Europa League, and third-tier UEFA Conference League, as well as the UEFA Super Cup one-off encounter.
The media has reported that AB InBev's offer to UC3 is for as much as $230 million per year, a significant increase on the fee Heineken is paying.
An AB InBev spokesperson has been quoted as saying: "The UEFA men’s club competitions will allow our brands to create more memorable experiences for fans globally and reinforce that beer and sports are better together. We look forward to becoming a great partner to UC3 for years to come.”
Heineken, meanwhile, have also made a statement: "After a partnership of 30 years, this is of course an emotional moment for us. We’ve made the strategic choice to focus our sponsorships on platforms where spend is proportionate to value creation, ensuring return on investment ...
"We still have two more years to make the Champions League sponsorship big and keep the association with the Heineken brand in the minds of people for years to come. It has been a great ride, and in the spirit of our pioneering mindset and continuing to build meaningfulness & difference for our brands, we are proud to be investing in the future."
In terms of current AB InBev soccer tie-ups, that brewing giant has a deal in place with the sport's global governing body FIFA, and has been a sponsor of the FIFA World Cup iconic national teams event since the 1986 event.
It also has an agreement with the International Olympic Committee running through the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane, Australia.
For UEFA's array of club competitions, meanwhile, Relevent is currently running a media rights tender for four seasons in the key markets of the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, and France.
The deadline in all these markets is November 18, with the process being handled by the newly-established Relevent Football Partners division.
Two processes are beginning in each of the five European markets, technically - one covers the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and UEFA Youth League, with the other covering the Europa League and Conference League.
