Chinese home-appliance group Haier（海尔）announced a global partnership with UC3 in Berlin on September 3, becoming an official partner of the UEFA Champions League from the 2027/28 through 2030/31 seasons. The agreement also covers the UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Youth League Finals and UEFA Futsal Champions League Finals, extending Haier’s sports marketing portfolio as it seeks stronger connections with consumers internationally.
The partnership runs from July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2031, and grants Haier exclusive worldwide sponsorship rights in the home-appliance, television and commercial-display categories across the covered competitions. UC3 manages commercial rights for UEFA club competitions. Financial terms were not disclosed in Haier’s announcement.
Haier described the agreement as a step toward turning global recognition into stronger consumer preference. Citing Euromonitor International, the company said it had ranked first among major-appliance brands worldwide by retail volume for 17 consecutive years. The sponsorship gives it a recurring platform to connect that scale with football audiences and promote its smart-home offerings.
The deal builds on an established sports strategy. Haier’s existing partnerships include Liverpool FC, Paris Saint-Germain, the Australian Open and Roland-Garros. The company is also developing Haier Cup, a consumer participation programme covering football, badminton and tennis, with a global final planned for 2027. Alongside professional sponsorships, the programme is intended to bring consumers into local sporting activities associated with the brand.
The announcement coincided with Haier’s AI and connected-home showcase at IFA 2026. Together, the initiatives suggest a strategy of combining sports audiences with opportunities to demonstrate products and household applications. Sponsorship provides visibility; product experiences give consumers something more concrete to assess.
That approach rests on a substantial international operating presence. Haier says its global network includes 10 R&D centres, 35 industrial parks and 173 manufacturing centres, supporting operations across more than 200 countries and regions. Local research, production and marketing provide the infrastructure through which a global campaign can be adapted to individual markets.
For Chinese consumer brands, the partnership illustrates the growing role of sustained brand investment alongside overseas distribution and manufacturing. Its commercial value will depend on how effectively Haier connects the sponsorship with retail activity, product quality and after-sales service. The opportunity is to turn repeated exposure into consideration and loyalty; the agreement itself does not yet demonstrate higher sales or stronger pricing power.
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