The 2024 edition of the UEFA European Championships saw sponsorship deals from a total of 25 brands, with the largest deal in terms of annual value being with adidas, according to new analysis.

Alongside Sportradar, Coca-Cola’s deal ranks joint second in terms of the largest sponsorship deals. Overall, the 2024 UEFA European Championships generated sponsorship revenue of $535.25 million, says GlobalData.

Its latest report “Post Event Analysis – UEFA European Championships 2024,” reveals that the largest media value deal for the 2024 European Champions was with Deutsche Telecom. The tournament had a total attendance of around 2.68 million.

Olivia Snooks, Associate Sport Analyst at GlobalData comments: “Many of the partnerships, including adidas and Sportradar, have agreed deals with UEFA; therefore, the partnerships go beyond just the European Championships. Adidas took over from Nike as the official ball supplier to all UEFA competitions in 2000. Coca-Cola, on the other hand, has only a one-year partnership, serving as a global partner for the 2024 edition of the tournament.”  

The UEFA Euro 2024 final was watched by a peak audience of 24.2 million across ITV and BBC in the UK, with an average of 22.3 million watching the match. ITV posted its highest viewing share for a final since records began. The BBC’s coverage, in fact, beat ITV’s coverage of the final in terms of peak viewership. England’s Euro 2024 semi-final victory over the Netherlands was watched by a peak audience of 20.3 million on ITV, which prior to the final was the most-watched television program of the year.

Snooks continues: “As the European Championships are one of the UK’s “crown jewel” sporting events, along with other competitions, such as the Olympics, they are required by law to be shown on free-to-air channels. This year’s Euros set records for TV audiences in the countries of the participating teams, as the 2024 Euros increased to 24 competing nations.”

Approximately 65,000 fans attended the 2024 Euros final between England and Spain. Unsurprisingly, tickets for the final were the most expensive out of all of the matches. Ticket prices ranged from $107.26 (£83) to $1129.44 (£874). The total number of tickets sold for the quarter-final matches was 218,787, while the total number of tickets sold at the semi-final matches was 112,968.

Snooks concludes: “The attendance for the 2024 Euro final was considerably lower in terms of percentage compared to other matches at this year’s Euros, with a 92.5% full stadium. However, it is important to mention that many England fans left the stadium in Berlin before the medal ceremony had even begun; therefore, the attendance data for the final might be slightly skewed.”

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Sponsorship plays a crucial role in supporting the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in maintaining its ambition of hosting the best professional soccer tournaments in the world, including the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League.

It contributes to the smooth operation of each competition, as exemplified by its top associations with Heineken, Turkish Airlines, and PlayStation. UEFA is estimated to generate $606.33 million through central sponsorship deals for the Champions League for the 2023-24 season, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s latest report, “The Business of UEFA Club Competitions 2023-24,” reveals that in 2023, the UEFA Champions League had 12 teams, which generated more than $60 million in annual sponsorship revenue. Barcelona and Real Madrid are expected to generate a significant amount in the 2023-24 season, with approximately $169 million and $143 million, respectively, adding to their esteemed reputation in the sport and immense popularity globally.

Joe Pacinella, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, commented: “The UEFA Champions League clubs are known to be some of the most valuable soccer properties on the planet, as seen with Barcelona and Real Madrid. Manchester United’s $96 million-a-year sponsorship revenue is also very impressive and illustrates its commercial pull, along with that of Paris Saint-Germain, which collects $87 million annually, slightly more than Manchester City’s just over $83 million-a-year.”

UEFA’s deals with Heineken, PlayStation, and Turkish Airlines offer a huge source of revenue for the federation and provide diversity within UEFA’s sponsorship portfolio, further enhancing their global exposure and cementing their pristine status.

Heineken is the biggest spender on the Champions League roster and promotes the competition worldwide through exclusive rights surrounding the deal. The Dutch brand has been partnered with UEFA since 1994, continuously engaging with soccer fans around the world and using the Champions League as the focus of their marketing campaigns, in a deal worth $65 million annually, as per GlobalData. The brand sponsors all three UEFA club competitions, including the Champions League, Europa League, and the Conference League.

Pacinella added: “Heineken has focused on UEFA’s three club competitions for a number of years, making it the center of their sports sponsorship portfolio. The brand aims to assert itself as a market leader for soccer in the beer scene, being UEFA’s top sponsor.”

Hankook Tire primarily focuses on the Europa League and Conference League, giving both competitions worldwide exposure. The automotive brand stands as both competitions’ top sponsor, ranking as the most lucrative deal that is not affiliated with the Champions League. The Korean brand has been promoting the competitions across Asia and engaging with fans across the globe, offering matchday experiences and online social media content. Hankook Tire’s deal with UEFA is worth $17.5 million annually on a one-year deal.

Pacinella concluded: “The Europa League is Europe’s second-tier competition but still ranks as the second most popular soccer club competition in the world after the Champions League, emphasising the power of European soccer relative to other continents. Despite the huge appeal and success of UEFA’s club competitions, the newly instated UEFA Conference League certainly lags behind the rest and has less social media followers than the Copa Libertadores, CAF Champions League, and the AFC Champions League, but given time to grow, it will no doubt surpass these competitions.”

Photo by Mario Klassen on Unsplash