PepsiCo has agreed to a three-year extension of its worldwide sponsorship arrangement for the UEFA Champions League.
SportBusiness revealed that Heineken and Mastercard are also close to announcing renewals with Europe’s top club football competition.
The beverage tycoon is believed to have informed staff members about the extension at the Champions League final this year in Istanbul, and it is anticipated that the deal will soon be made public.
The arrangement, which spans the 2024–2025–2026–2027 Champions League cycle, is anticipated to include the company’s Lay’s and Gatorade brands.
The brand has also had the exclusive right to name the “Kick-Off Show” for the Champions League Final in the past.
Pepsico and UEFA Champions League
Beginning in 2015, PepsiCo organised the “Kick Off Show” in cooperation with UEFA, the organisation that oversees the Champions League.
The goal, according to Mark Kirkham, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of PepsiCo’s foreign beverages business, was to bring NFL-style entertainment to a “football (soccer)-first event.”
The pre-match show has featured artists including Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas, and Dua Lipa, and preparations for the event the next year begin almost immediately after the final.
While sports and other forms of entertainment have a long history in the US, such activities are relatively new to football in Europe – and are not always well appreciated.
After some fans sang over the pop singer Camila Cabello’s performance prior to the final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in 2017, she referred to them as “very rude” fans.
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