New partnership underlines Food & Beverage leader’s long-standing passion for the beautiful game

PepsiCo’s flagship global brands Walkers, Gatorade and Pepsi MAX/Pepsi are joining forces with the UEFA Champions League as PepsiCo today announced a new partnership with the prestigious European club football tournament.

PepsiCo’s agreement with the UEFA Champions League officially began on July 1, prior to the start of the 2015/16 season. Walkers, Gatorade and Pepsi MAX/Pepsi will serve as lead brands for the tournament. In addition, PepsiCo will also integrate Doritos, Lipton and 7UP brands into the sponsorship programme. 

Ramon Laguarta, PepsiCo Europe CEO, said: “This announcement takes PepsiCo’s long-standing relationship with great football to another level. The UEFA Champions League is without a doubt one of the most prestigious football competitions in the world, and with more than a billion football fans watching the matches every season, this new partnership offers unprecedented opportunities for both parties. We’re passionate about football and we can’t wait to share that passion with UEFA Champions League fans in Europe and around the world.”

He added: “PepsiCo’s food and beverage brands, combined with the power of the UEFA Champions League, are a perfect fit. In joining forces we can create great opportunities for friends and families to come together and enjoy themselves. Together we will take the union between football and entertainment to new heights and UEFA Champions League fans can expect some fantastic new experiences from Walkers, Gatorade, Pepsi MAX and Pepsi as we head into the 2015/16 season. Stay tuned!”

Commenting on the agreement, Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Events SA Marketing Director, said:  “We are delighted to welcome PepsiCo as an official partner of the UEFA Champions League. PepsiCo is a truly global partner, and we are excited to be working closely with them on engaging fans across the world through innovative marketing activations, while also benefiting from their extensive experience in the entertainment area to further enhance the UEFA Champions League brand.”

The UEFA Champions League Final is the world’s most watched annual sporting event. The final on Saturday June 6, 2015 was aired in more than 200 countries, reaching an estimated 400 million viewers, with an anticipated average live match viewership of 180 million. The season from the Play-Offs to Final runs over 17 match weeks with a total of 145 games.  The league provides more than 110,000 hours of TV content over a season and audiences are significant regionally and globally, with 1.1 billion unique viewers of live match coverage worldwide.