- AI-driven tech giant expands footprint in global sports ahead of Champions League final
- AI, cloud and e-commerce services to support UEFA competitions through 2033
Alibaba Group has signed a long-term partnership with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the commercial rights body UC3 to provide AI, cloud computing and e-commerce services across Europe’s top football competitions, deepening its push into global sports infrastructure.
The agreement, announced in Budapest on May 29, covers the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League from the 2027/28 season through 2032/33, as well as UEFA Euro 2028.
The deal comes ahead of this weekend’s Champions League final and marks another major sports partnership for Alibaba, following collaborations with the International Olympic Committee and NBA China.
Modernize fan engagement
The latest tie-up comes as global sports bodies increasingly turn to Chinese cloud and AI providers for digital infrastructure.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said the partnership aligns with the governing body’s push to modernize fan engagement.
“We are delighted to welcome Alibaba as a global partner for UEFA EURO 2028 and as a future partner of our men’s club competitions. Their expertise in artificial intelligence, cloud computing technology, and e-commerce will support UEFA’s commitment to thoughtful innovation and to enhancing the experience of supporters around the world,” Čeferin said.
“Together, we can bring fans closer to the game in new and meaningful ways — making our competitions feel even more captivating, engaging and accessible, while preserving the traditions, emotions and spirit that define European football,” he added.
Qwen to support fan engagement
UC3 is a joint venture between UEFA and the European Club Association responsible for managing commercial rights for club competitions. It will oversee the commercialization and delivery of the partnership.
Under the agreement, Alibaba will deploy its AI capabilities, including its Qwen large language model, to support fan engagement tools and media content management.
Its cloud infrastructure and global e-commerce platforms will also be used to deliver what the company described as more immersive viewing and content experiences across UEFA’s flagship events.
Alibaba Chairman Joe Tsai said football provides a “shared language around the world” and framed the deal as part of a broader technology push into international sport.
“I am excited to work with UEFA to realize the vision of this multi-year partnership, where we will commit our cloud computing, full-stack AI, and global e-commerce capabilities to support UEFA and UC3 to deliver these iconic competitions to global fans,” Tsai said.
Expanding footprint in global sports
The UEFA agreement extends a sequence of high-profile sports technology partnerships for Alibaba. Since becoming a global Olympic partner in 2017, the company has helped shift parts of Olympic broadcasting infrastructure to cloud systems.
These efforts included cloud-based production at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and full system migration for the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022.
At the Paris 2024 Games, cloud broadcasting surpassed satellite transmission for the first time as the dominant distribution method.
For the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee also adopted Alibaba’s Qwen model to power what it described as the first official AI model for the Games.
Alibaba also signed a multi-year partnership with NBA China through Alibaba Cloud in October last year.
