US multinational food and beverage corporation PepsiCo has renewed its sponsorship of the Uefa Champions League club football competition.
The new three-year deal struck with European football’s governing body covers the 2018-19 to 2020-21 seasons, and also includes the Super Cup, the annual match played by the winners of the previous season’s Champions League and Europa League.
PepsiCo has sponsored the Champions League since 2015 and has launched various marketing campaigns, activations and experiences over the past three years. In September 2017, PepsiCo-owned crisps brand Lay’s partnered with the Uefa Foundation for Children to build an artificial football pitch at the Za’atari refugee camp in northern Jordan.
This year’s Champions League final will be held at the NSC Olimpyskiy Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine on May 26.
Uefa Events’ marketing director, Guy-Laurent Epstein, said: “Since joining the Uefa Champions League partner family in 2015, PepsiCo and its brands have promoted the competition globally and we are pleased to continue our strong relationship into the 2018-21 cycle.
“From innovative digital activations, to on-pack promotions in over 100 markets, PepsiCo is the perfect partner for Uefa as we continue to build interest and awareness of the Uefa Champions League around the world. The Uefa Champions League Final Opening Ceremony presented by Pepsi has brought new audiences to the competition and we look forward to another exciting show in Kyiv.”
The renewal of PepsiCo’s sponsorship of the Champions League comes after Dutch brewing company Heineken and Japanese automotive manufacturer Nissan extended their partnerships with the competition for the same three-year period. Banking group Santander in November became the latest sponsor of the competition for the 2018-19 to 2020-21 cycle.