Overview of the 2020/2021 Champions League sponsors
Similar to previous seasons we analyse the kit and shirt sponsors of the 32 teams participating in the 2020/2021 UEFA Champions League (UCL). We also take a look at the Champions League sponsors and partners. With the world’s best players competing, great exposure and millions at stake, Europe’s biggest club competition will again be a spectacle to watch.
Related article:
Overview of the 2022/2023 Champions League sponsors
An overview of the 2022/2023 Champions League sponsors, including kit, shirt and sleeve sponsorships and official league partners.
Breakdown of 2020/2021 Champions League kit sponsors
Kit sponsors – key takeaways
- Seven different sports brands supply the 2020/2021 Champions League teams: Adidas, Bilcee, Joma, Macron, New Balance, Nike and Puma
- Respectively two and three brands less compared to the 2019/2020 and 2018/2019 UCL season
- PSG plays with both Nike and Jordan (a Nike brand) branded kits in the Champions League
- Nike once again sponsors the most teams with 13 – followed by Adidas (seven), Puma (six), Macron and New Balance (both two)
- Three clubs changed kit supplier in 2020: Liverpool (was New Balance), Lokomotiv Moscow (was Under Armour) and Istanbul Basaksehir (was Macron)
| Team (country) | Kit sponsor | Buy from Amazon (Paid Link) |
|---|---|---|
| RB Salzburg (AUT) | Nike | |
| Club Brugge (BEL) | Macron | Home |
| FC Midtjylland (DEN) | Nike | |
| Chelsea (ENG) | Nike | Home | Away | Third |
| Liverpool (ENG) | Nike | |
| Manchester City (ENG) | Puma | Home | Away | Third |
| Manchester United (ENG) | Adidas | Home | Away | Third |
| Atlético Madrid (ESP) | Nike | Home |
| FC Barcelona (ESP) | Nike | |
| Real Madrid (ESP) | Adidas | |
| Sevilla (ESP) | Nike | Home | Away | Third |
| Marseille (FRA) | Puma | Home | Away |
| PSG (FRA) | Jordan Brand – Nike | Home Nike| Away Nike |
| Rennes (FRA) | Puma | |
| Bayern München (GER) | Adidas | Home | Away | Third/UCL |
| Borussia Dortmund (GER) | Puma | Home |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach (GER) | Puma | Home | Away | Third |
| RB Leipzig (GER) | Nike | Home | Away | Third |
| Olympiacos (GRE) | Adidas | |
| Ferencvaros (HUN) | Nike | |
| Atalanta (ITA) | Joma | Home |
| Internazionale (ITA) | Nike | Home | Away |
| Juventus (ITA) | Adidas | Home | Third |
| Lazio (ITA) | Macron | Home | Away |
| Ajax (NED) | Adidas | Home |
| Porto (POR) | New Balance | |
| FC Krasnodar (RUS) | Puma | Home |
| Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS) | Adidas | |
| Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS) | Nike | Home | Away |
| Istanbul Basaksehir (TUR) | Bilcee | |
| Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) | New Balance | Home |
| Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) | Nike |
Shirt sponsors – key takeaways
- 30 teams have a shirt sponsor, two do not – Lazio and Dynamo Kyiv
- 27 different companies sponsor the 2020/2021 Champions League teams
- Red Bull (Salzburg and Leipzig), Plus500 (Atalanta and Atlético Madrid) and Deutsche Telekom (Bayern München and subsidiary Magyar Telekom for Ferencvaros) are the only brands sponsoring multiple teams
- As gambling advertisements are prohibited in some countries, several clubs could have no or a different logo on their kits in certain 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 2020/2021 Premier League shirt sponsors, 40 percent (eight out of 20) of the shirt sponsors are gambling companies. In this year’s Champions League season 17 percent (five out of 32) of the clubs have a gambling sponsor while last year there was only one (three percent).
So in which industries are the UCL teams’ sponsors active?
We can roughly categorise the companies into 13 different industries. While there were 16 different industries last season (note: all 32 teams had a shirt sponsor last season). The telecommunications industry sponsors the most teams with six teams. Followed by the financial services, gambling (both five) and automotive (three) industries.
Compared to earlier seasons fewer teams are sponsored by airliners. This season just two: Manchester City and Real Madrid. In 2016/2017 there were six teams sponsored by an airliner, with Emirates sponsoring four teams.
Breakdown of 2020/2021 Champions League shirt sponsors per industry
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 (18), followed by countries that lie in Eurasia, the Middle East (both four) and North America (three)
- One Asian company completes the shirt sponsors
- 18 teams have a shirt sponsor from their home nation
- Germany, Russia, the UK and the USA have the most shirt sponsors (all three)
| Team (country) | Shirt sponsor | Industry shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| RB Salzburg (AUT) | Red Bull | Beverage, media & sport (conglomerate) |
| Club Brugge (BEL) | Unibet | Gambling |
| FC Midtjylland (DEN) | Arbejdernes Landsbank | Financial services |
| Chelsea (ENG) | Three | Telecommunications |
| Liverpool (ENG) | Standard Chartered | Financial services |
| Manchester City (ENG) | Etihad Airways | Airline |
| Manchester United (ENG) | Chevrolet | Automotive |
| Atlético Madrid (ESP) | Plus500 | Online trading (financial services) |
| FC Barcelona (ESP) | Rakuten | Internet & e-commerce |
| Real Madrid (ESP) | Emirates | Airline |
| Sevilla (ESP) | Marathon Bet | Gambling |
| Marseille (FRA) | Uber Eats | Online food ordering |
| PSG (FRA) | Accor Live Limitless | Hospitality & Tourism |
| Rennes (FRA) | Samsic | Business services |
| Bayern München (GER) | Deutsche Telekom | Telecommunications |
| Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 1&1 | Telecommunications |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach (GER) | Flatex | Online trading (financial services) |
| RB Leipzig (GER) | Red Bull | Beverage, media & sport (conglomerate) |
| Olympiacos (GRE) | Stoiximan – Iroes | Gambling |
| Ferencvaros (HUN) | Magyar Telekom (Deutsche Telekom) | Telecommunications |
| Atalanta (ITA) | Plus500 | Online trading (financial services) |
| Internazionale (ITA) | Pirelli | Automotive |
| Juventus (ITA) | Jeep | Automotive |
| Lazio (ITA) | – | – |
| Ajax (NED) | Ziggo | Telecommunications |
| Porto (POR) | MEO | Telecommunications |
| FC Krasnodar (RUS) | Winline | Gambling |
| Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS) | Russian Railways | Rail transport |
| Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS) | Gazprom | Oil and gas (energy) |
| Istanbul Basaksehir (TUR) | Decovita | Ceramic |
| Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) | – | – |
| Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) | Parimatch | Gambling |
2020/2021 Champions League sponsors
The Champions League lists eight official partners on their website. Compared to last season they changed Hotels.com for Expedia.com. However, both companies are owned by Expedia Group. The company, UEFA agreed a three-season deal with for the Champions League in 2018.
The industries these partners come from are relatively predictable, with automotive, financial services, beverage among them. Noticeable is that five out of eight have their headquarters outside Europe with three in the USA and two in Japan.
| Partner | Industry | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Nissan | Automotive | Japan |
| PS4 | Gaming | Japan |
| Gazprom | Oil and gas (energy) | Russia |
| Lays | Food | USA |
| Santander | Financial services | Spain |
| Mastercard | Financial services | USA |
| Expedia | Tourism | USA |
| Heineken | Beverage | Netherlands |
Related: Overview UCL 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | 2016/17 | 2015/16
Related: 2020/2021 sponsorships Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga
Nice post.