Oppo becomes first Chinese sponsor of the Uefa Champions League

• Deal lasts for two seasons and includes Uefa Super Cup
• Oppo already has partnerships with Wimbledon, Roland-Garros, and the ICC

Smartphone manufacturer Oppo has become the first Chinese brand to sponsor the Uefa Champions League, hoping to use European club soccer’s most prestigious competition to raise awareness of its products beyond its traditional core markets.

The two-year deal, which covers the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, also includes the Uefa Super Cup, the Uefa Futsal Champions League Finals and the Uefa Youth League Finals.

Oppo’s brand will appear on perimeter advertising, broadcast backdrops, and on Uefa’s official digital channels, while a central theme of the partnership will be the use of the company’s technology to record the fan experience.

Supporters in attendance will be invited to capture sights and sounds from pitch side, with Oppo creating a dedicated gallery on the official Champions League website.

“We are delighted to welcome Oppo to the Uefa sponsor family with the world’s greatest club competition – the Uefa Champions League,” said Guy-Laurent Epstein, Uefa’s marketing director. “Oppo is a global leader in mobile technology and together, we are looking forward to advancing our efforts of connecting and inspiring football fans around the world.”

SportsPro says:

Oppo is the world’s third largest smartphone vendor, behind Samsung and Apple, thanks to strong sales of its devices in China and in other parts of Asia. However, to find further growth, it is looking westward.

It hopes partnerships with major sports properties, such as Uefa, Wimbledon and the International Cricket Council (ICC), will legitimise its smartphones, wearables, and headphones in Europe and beyond and translate to commercial success, particularly in brand-conscious markets like the UK.

The deal also reflects the changing dynamics of the global sponsorship market, with Chinese firms such as Vivo, Alibaba, and Hisense becoming significant partners for Fifa, Uefa, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in recent years.