2017/18 Champions League kit and shirt sponsors
For some brands it is a blessing when the team they sponsor qualifies for the Champions League. It means more international exposure. For others it is a must, as they entered the sponsorship agreement with the idea of getting Champions League exposure.
Below we look at the brands that are shirt sponsors of this year’s 32 Champions League teams. We also see which sports apparel brands are kit sponsors, or what some call technical suppliers.
At the bottom of the article you will find a table of the kit and shirt sponsors of the 2017/18 Champions League teams.
Check out our article about the 2018-2019 Champions League kit and shirt sponsors
Kit sponsors – key takeaways
- Six different sports brands supply the 2017/18 Champions League teams: Adidas, Nike, New Balance, Kappa, Macron and Puma
- Adidas sponsors the most teams with 13. Followed by Nike (12) and New Balance (4)
- Nike sponsors the most directly qualified teams with 11
Breakdown of kit sponsors per brand
There are 13 (41%) Adidas teams in the 2017/18 Champions League
Shirt sponsors – key takeaways
- 28 different companies sponsor the 2017/18 Champions League teams
- 30 teams have a shirt sponsor, two teams don’t – AS Roma* and Sevilla**
- Emirates is the only brand sponsoring multiple teams (3)
It is interesting to see the kind of services and products these brands deliver to the market. For example if you look at the 2017/18 Premier League shirt sponsors there are a lot of gambling companies.
So in which industries are the UCL teams’ sponsors active?
We can roughly categorise the companies in 13 different industries. The airline* and telecommunications industries sponsor the most teams, with both four teams (note: Emirates is counted three times). The automotive, financial services, gambling and energy industries follow with each three teams.
Two sponsors are active in multiple sectors and are a holding or conglomerate.
Breakdown of shirt sponsors per industry
The airline and telecommunications industries have the most shirt sponsors, with each four.
Where do the shirt sponsors come from?
To see where the 30 shirt sponsors come from we look at where the companies have their headquarters. Three takeaways:
- 15 teams have a shirt sponsor from their home nation
- Dubai – three times Emirates – and Russia – FEDCOM, Rosetti and LUKoil – sponsor the most teams
- Most of the shirt sponsors, with more than half, come from Europe, followed by the Middle East and Asia (both 4)
Number of shirt sponsors per region
20 of the 30 shirt sponsors come from Europe
| Team (country) | Kit sponsor | Shirt sponsor | Industry shirt sponsor | Buy it on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qarabag FK (AZE) | Adidas | Azersun | Various | |
| Anderlecht (BEL) | Adidas | Allianz | Financial services | |
| APOEL CK (CYP) | Nike | PariMatch | Gambling | |
| Chelsea (ENG) | Nike | Yokohama Tyres | Automotive | |
| Liverpool (ENG) | New Balance | Standard Chartered | Financial services | |
| Manchester City (ENG) | Nike | Etihad Airways | Airline | |
| Manchester United (ENG) | Adidas | Chevrolet | Automotive | |
| Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) | Nike | AIA | (Life) insurance | |
| Atlético Madrid (ESP) | Nike | Plus500 | Online trading (financial services) | |
| FC Barcelona (ESP) | Nike | Rakuten | Internet & e-commerce | |
| Real Madrid (ESP) | Adidas | Emirates | Airline | |
| Sevilla (ESP) | New Balance | -** | – | |
| AS Monaco (FRA) | Nike | FEDCOM | Agriculture | |
| PSG (FRA) | Nike | Emirates | Airline | |
| Bayern München (GER) | Adidas | T-Mobile | Telecommunications | |
| Borussia Dortmund (GER) | Puma | Evonik | Specialty chemicals | |
| RB Leipzig (GER) | Nike | Red Bull | Beverage | |
| Olympiacos (GRE) | Adidas | Stoiximan | Gambling | |
| AS Roma* (ITA) | Nike | -* | – | |
| Juventus (ITA) | Adidas | Jeep | Automotive | |
| SSC Napoli (ITA) | Kappa | Lete | Beverage | |
| Feyenoord (NED) | Adidas | Qurrent | Energy | |
| FC Porto (POR) | New Balance | Altice/MEO | Telecommunications | |
| S.L. Benfica (POR) | Adidas | Emirates | Airline | |
| Sporting CP (POR) | Macron | NOS | Telecommunications & media | |
| CSKA Moscow (RUS) | Adidas | Rosetti | Energy | |
| Spartak Moscow (RUS) | Nike | LUKoil | Oil and gas (energy) | |
| Celtic (SCO) | New Balance | Dafabet | Gambling | |
| NK Maribor (SVN) | Adidas | SAVA | Insurance | |
| FC Basel (SUI) | Adidas | Novartis | Pharmaceuticals | |
| Besiktas JK (TUR) | Adidas | Vodafone | Telecommunications | |
| Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) | Nike | SCM | Various |
* At the end of April 2018, AS Roma announced Qatar Airways as shirt sponsor (previously none). The airline brand was visible on Roma’s shirts in the semifinals.
**In February 2018, Sevilla announced that the logo of online games company Playtika would feature on their shirts.
Read about the 2016/17 Champions League kit and shirt sponsors
