NYON, Switzerland: Ahead of the UEFA Women’s Champions League final on 30 August, PepsiCo has announced a multi-year partnership with UEFA women’s football. The landmark partnership will run until the summer of 2025 and will sit alongside its current sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League.
The deal, which will see PepsiCo brands Pepsi, Lay’s and Gatorade become official sponsors, strengthens the US snacks and beverage giant’s presence within UEFA’s elite footballing landscape and includes competitions such as Women’s EURO and Women’s Champions League.
Through this partnership, which is being seen as a major step for women’s football from a business standpoint, PepsiCo has become the first company to unify both the men’s and women’s Champions League main sponsorships since UEFA’s decision to separate the competitions as two individual commercial entities in 2018.
“The popularity of and interest in women’s football is increasing with every year and this is why we are delighted to have such a trusted partner as PepsiCo join us on this exciting journey,” said Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director of UEFA Events SA. “Over the last five years, PepsiCo has been an innovative and influential partner of the UEFA Champions League and we are looking to draw on this energy and experience in order to take the women’s game to new heights.”
The five-year partnership will see PepsiCo support women’s football at all levels through to mid-2025. This will include PepsiCo being a main partner of the Women’s Champions League, the Women’s EURO, the European Women’s Under-19 and Under-17 Championships, and the Women’s Futsal EURO, as well as UEFA’s Together #WePlayStrong programme, which is aimed at encouraging more girls and women to play football.
“PepsiCo is proud to unify and strengthen our global partnership with UEFA to now include UEFA Women’s football,” said Ram Krishnan, global chief commercial officer, PepsiCo. “This is an energising moment in the evolution of the sport – and for our business around the world. We look forward to helping accelerate the vibrant women’s game and are committed to the future of women’s football.”
PepsiCo ambassador Lieke Martens is one of the world’s best forwards. A Women’s EURO winner with the Netherlands in 2017, where she was also crowned the tournament’s best player, the 27-year-old believes PepsiCo’s involvement with women’s football can only be good for the continued growth of the game.
“Having a major sponsor like PepsiCo sign on to UEFA Women’s football is the influence and recognition women’s football and its athletes and fans need and deserve,” said Martens, who was voted UEFA and FIFA women’s player of the year in 2017.
Since becoming a UEFA partner in 2015, PepsiCo has undertaken a number of important activations alongside European football’s governing body. This has included its wafers brand Lay’s helping to build a football pitch at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan alongside the UEFA Foundation for Children, providing youth with the opportunity to play the game they love in a safe environment.
