European soccer heavyweights Barcelona (Spain) and Marseille (France) have both been commercially active in the last 24 hours, as they prepare for the start of the 2026-27 season on the continent.
Barcelona have teamed up with the Google Gemini and Google Pixel brands of the technology search engine giant, while Marseille have extended their deal with the SkillCorner AI-based sports data firm.
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For Barca, last season's LaLiga champions, Google Gemini becomes the Catalan club's official consumer AI partner, while Google Pixel will be their official mobile phone partner.
The tie-up will entail Google Pixel smartphones providing exclusive digital content around the club, including the daily activities of both the men's and women's Barca first teams.
This is a similar deal to one unveiled by Google – across the same two brands – with German powerhouse Bayern Munich last week.
August has also seen Google tie-up with French champions Paris Saint-Germain, while it was also a sponsor of multiple sides at the recent FIFA World Cup.
For Barca, their men's team's front-of-shirt sponsor is Spotify, while Nike holds technical partner rights.
The Marseille-SkillCorner tie-up, meanwhile, sees the brand continue as the iconic French club's provider of tracking and performance data for 2026-27.
SkillCorner provides data-driven analysis technologies and solutions to Marseille, particularly the Game Intelligence platform.
The platform focuses on the "style and performance of individual players."
Marseille finished second in last season's Ligue 1, 19 points behind title-winners Paris Saint-Germain.
