Chinese mobile payments firm Alipay has signed a new Global Partner deal with the Uefa, European football’s governing body.
The eight-year deal will see Alipay become Uefa’s Official Global Payment Partner, sponsoring all international tournaments from 2018 to 2026.
As part of the deal, Alipay, which is owned by Alibaba’s Ant Financial Services Group, will have a branding presence at Euro 2020, Euro 2024 and all Uefa Nations League finals.
Alipay’s first four-year cycle as a Uefa Global Partner sponsor will see it sponsor a total of eight competitions covering 420 matches.
With over 700 million active users in China and 900 million worldwide, Alipay will also become Uefa’s Official Global Digital Wallet Provider and Official Global FinTech Partner.
Along with Volkswagen and Booking.com, which have signed global partner deals with Uefa until 2022, Alipay is the third brand to have clinched a sponsorship presence at Euro 2020.