European soccer’s governing body UEFA has confirmed a deal with Bet365, with the brand now unveiled as the first-ever sports betting brand to sponsor the Champions League (UCL) top-tier clubs competition.

Through a tie-up announced today, Bet365 becomes UCL partner for the 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27 seasons.

Over the three campaigns, Bet365 will receive brand exposure through in-game perimeter LED hoardings, media backdrops, and the competition's array of digital and social media channels.

Bet365 will officially launch the partnership through a large-scale ticket giveaway in select countries in the coming days.

UEFA began its hunt for UCL 2024-27 sponsors in May 2022, alongside its club competitions partner agency, Team Marketing.

This month has already seen Crypto.com and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), the technology heavyweight behind the PlayStation brand, come on board as UCL sponsors for the 2024-27 cycle. The cryptocurrency deal is also a UCL first.

Other brands signed up as specific UCL partners for the next three campaigns include Heineken, Lay’s, FedEx, and Mastercard.

From the 2024-25 season, Europe’s premier club competition will take on a new single-league format, with the competition expanding from 32 to 36 teams, and incorporating 189 matches instead of the current 125.

The first group stage games from the revamped UCL take place on September 17.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA’s director of marketing, said: “We look forward to a successful partnership that not only elevates the experience for our fans but also supports efforts to protect the integrity of the sport.”

In terms of Bet365’s other prominent sporting partnerships, the bookmaker has deals in place with organizations such as mixed martial arts heavyweight UFC, and the Charlotte Hornets NBA basketball franchise.