2018-2019 Champions League kit sponsors and shirt sponsors

2018-2019 Champions League kit sponsors and shirt sponsors

Like for previous seasons – e.g. 2017-2018 – and for the 2018-2019 Premier League, we have taken a look at the kit and shirt sponsors of the 32 teams participating in the UEFA Champions League (UCL). With world’s best players, great exposure and millions at stake, Europe’s biggest club competition will again be a spectacle to watch. But which brands, both technical suppliers and main sponsors, will get in on the action?

Related: 2019/2020 Champions League sponsors

Below we give an overview of the 2018-2019 Champions League kit sponsors and shirt sponsors and sum up the key takeaways from our research.

Breakdown of 2018-2019 Champions League kit sponsors per brand

2018-2019 Champions League kit sponsors

Kit sponsors – key takeaways

  • 10 different sports brands supply the 2018-2019 Champions League teams: Adidas, Capelli Sport, Kappa, Lotto, Macron, New Balance, Nike, Puma, Umbro and Under Armour
  • 4 more brands are represented compared to the 2017-2018 UCL season
  • PSG plays with Jordan (a Nike brand) branded kits in the Champions League
  • Nike sponsors the most teams with 11 – followed by Adidas (8), Umbro (3), Macron, New Balance and Puma (all 2)
  • Nike sponsors the most directly qualified teams with 10

2018-2019 Champions League kit sponsors

Team (country)Kit sponsorBuy from Amazon (Paid Link)
Club Brugge (BEL)Macron
Plzen (CZE)Puma
Liverpool (ENG)New BalanceHome | Away | Third
Manchester City (ENG)NikeHome | Away | Third
Manchester United (ENG)AdidasHome | Away | Third
Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)NikeHome | Away | Third
Atlético Madrid (ESP)NikeHome | Away | Third
FC Barcelona (ESP)NikeHome | Away | Third
Real Madrid (ESP)AdidasHome | Away | Third
Valencia (ESP)Adidas
AS Monaco (FRA)Nike
Olympique Lyon (FRA)AdidasHome Ligue 1 | Away Ligue 1
PSG (FRA)Jordan Brand – NikeUCL White | UCL Black
Bayern München (GER)AdidasUCL | Home | Away
Borussia Dortmund (GER)PumaUCL | Home | Away
Hoffenheim (GER)LottoHome | Away | Third
Schalke 04 (GER)UmbroHome | Away | Third
AEK (GRE)Capelli Sport
AS Roma (ITA)NikeHome | Away | Third
Internazionale (ITA)NikeHome | Away | Third
Juventus (ITA)AdidasHome | Away | Third
SSC Napoli (ITA)KappaUCL Home | UCL Away
Ajax (NED)AdidasHome | Away
PSV (NED)UmbroHome
Benfica (POR)AdidasHome | Away
FC Porto (POR)New BalanceHome | Away
CSKA Moscow (RUS)Umbro
Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS)Under Armour
Crvena zvezda (SRB)Macron
Young Boys (SUI)Nike
Galatasaray (TUR)NikeHome | Away
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)Nike

Shirt sponsors – key takeaways

  • All 32 teams have a shirt sponsor – in previous seasons some clubs had none
  • 29 different companies sponsor the 2018-2019 Champions League teams
  • Emirates (3 – Real Madrid, PSG and Benfica) and Gazprom (2 – Schalke and Crvena zvezda) are the only brands sponsoring multiple teams
  • As gambling advertisements are prohibited in some countries, Greek club AEK could have no or a different logo on their kits in some matches

It is interesting to see the kind of services and products these brands deliver to the market and to compare them with ‘regular’ leagues. For example if you look at the 2018-2019 Premier League shirt sponsors, 9 out of 20 shirt sponsors are gambling companies. In this year’s Champions League season only AEK has a gambling company as shirt sponsor.

So in which industries are the UCL teams’ sponsors active?

We can roughly categorise the companies into 17 different industries. The airline and energy industries sponsor the most teams with respectively 6 and 5 teams, followed by the automotive and telecommunications industries (both 3).

Breakdown of 2018-2019 Champions League shirt sponsors per industry

2018-2019 Champions League shirt sponsors per sector

The airline and energy industries have the most shirt sponsors with respectively 6 and 5 teams.

Where do the shirt sponsors come from?

To see where the shirt sponsors come from we looked at where the companies have their headquarters. Key takeaways:

  • Most of the shirt sponsors come from Europe (14), followed by countries that lie in both Europe and Asia, like Russia, and the Middle East (both 6)
  • 3 Asian and 3 North American companies complete the shirt sponsors
  • 15 teams have a shirt sponsor from their home nation
  • Russia (5) and Germany (4) have the most shirt sponsors
  • 5 of the 6 Middle Eastern shirt sponsors are active in the airline industry – Emirates (3), Qatar Airways (1) and Etihad Airways (1).

2018-2019 Champions League shirt sponsors

Team (country)Shirt sponsorIndustry shirt sponsor
Club Brugge (BEL)DaikinElectrical equipment (electronics)
Plzen (CZE)DoosanEnergy services
Liverpool (ENG)Standard CharteredFinancial services
Manchester City (ENG)Etihad AirwaysAirline
Manchester United (ENG)ChevroletAutomotive
Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)AIA(Life) insurance
Atlético Madrid (ESP)Plus500Online trading (financial services)
FC Barcelona (ESP)RakutenInternet & e-commerce
Real Madrid (ESP)EmiratesAirline
Valencia (ESP)BLÜMobile phones (electronics)
AS Monaco (FRA)FEDCOMAgriculture
Olympique Lyon (FRA)VeoliaEnvironmental services
PSG (FRA)EmiratesAirline
Bayern München (GER)Deutsche TelekomTelecommunications
Borussia Dortmund (GER)EvonikSpecialty chemicals
Hoffenheim (GER)SAPEnterprise software
Schalke 04 (GER)GazpromOil and gas (energy)
AEK (GRE)Pame StoiximaGambling
AS Roma (ITA)Qatar AirwaysAirline
Internazionale (ITA)PirelliAutomotive
Juventus (ITA)JeepAutomotive
SSC Napoli (ITA)LeteBeverage
Ajax (NED)ZiggoTelecommunications
PSV (NED)Energiedirect.nlEnergy
Benfica (POR)EmiratesAirline
FC Porto (POR)AlticeTelecommunications
CSKA Moscow (RUS)RossetiEnergy
Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS)Russian RailwaysRail transport
Crvena zvezda (SRB)GazpromOil and gas (energy)
Young Boys (SUI)OBIHome improvement
Galatasaray (TUR)Turkish AirlinesAirline
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)SCM (CKM)Various

Compare with the 2017/18 Champions League kit and shirt sponsors or have a look at the sponsors of Premier League teams.

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