European soccer’s governing body UEFA has extended its commercial deal with Korean manufacturer Hankook Tire, covering its Europa League and Conference League club competitions for the next cycle.
Hankook Tire will continue to partner the two lower-tier competitions for the 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27 seasons. The current deal between the two parties is set to run out at the end of the 2023-24 season - the Europa Conference League final for this campaign takes place on May 29.
Hankook has been a Europa League partner since 2012 (the Conference League was only launched in 2021). GlobalData Sport has estimated the current tie-up as being worth $17.5 million annually.
Through the extension, Hankook's Laufenn brand will partner with the Conference League, while the electric vehicle tire brand iON will have its branding featured across both competitions.
Hankook joins the array of brands already signed up as commercial partners of the Europa League and Conference League for the 2024-27 cycle - this stable also includes Engelbert Strauss, Decathlon, Just Eat (covering all UEFA club competitions), and Swissquote.
In terms of rights and partnership activations, the soccer body has said there will be “multiple digital activations on both UEFA and Hankook digital channels,” while Hankook will continue to put its name to the player of the match presentation that takes place after each final of the two competitions.
In addition, the three logos - Hankook, Laufenn, and iON - will feature on LED pitchside advertising hoardings, and on media backdrops during press conferences.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director at UEFA, has said: “We are thrilled that Hankook, the UEFA Europa League’s longest-standing sponsor, will remain a partner for the next three seasons of both the Europa League and Conference League, especially as we enter the new league phase format era of our men’s club competitions. We look forward to building on our fruitful relationship that we have had for more than a decade.”
For the top-tier men’s Champions League, meanwhile, UEFA has deals in place for the 2024-27 cycle with PepsiCo and Heineken, as well as Just Eat.
The continental body is currently in the process of completing its media rights portfolio for the trio of competitions for the 2024-27 cycle.
Sanghoon Lee, Hankook Tire Europe’s president and chief operating officer, added: “The renewed involvement of our Laufenn brand in the Conference League demonstrates the close and trustful relationship we have developed with UEFA over the years. This new competition has already proven to be the perfect platform for raising awareness of our secondary brand in Europe.”
Aside from its UEFA tie-up, Hankook as a sponsor is most active in motorsport, through a major deal with the all-electric Formula E series. Through that agreement, it held title sponsorship rights to five races in the 2023 season.
It also has a tie-up in place with Major League Baseball.
