The Champions League introduced this Tuesday (17) a new format for the competition, which now includes 36 clubs in the first phase, played in a league format. Moreover, the 2024/2025 season highlights a trend in global football: the increase in betting sponsorships in the competition and as the main sponsor of the clubs - about 33% of the teams, representing more than 300% in the last six years.
The Champions League 2024/2025 started with 36 clubs in the initial phase in a league format, while sponsorships from betting houses are rapidly growing in European football. Currently, 33% of the teams have betting companies as their main sponsor, showing the impact of this industry on the sport.
Of the 36 clubs, 11 have a betting house in the central space of their shirts - Aston Villa, Young Boys, Celtic, Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb, Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sparta Prague, Sporting, Stuttgart, and Slovan Bratislava. This is the highest number since the 2022/2023 season, when eight teams (25%) had bets as their main sponsor.
In 2023, a survey by UEFA indicated that 22% of European clubs received investments from betting companies, which includes casinos and sports betting sites. It is the industry that invests the most in football currently.
Compared to the last season, the increase in the number of sponsors was 57%. In 2023/2024, seven teams were sponsored by betting houses. Compared to 2018/2019, the lowest index before the growth observed in recent years, only three teams had such brands on their uniform.
In six years, the increase in the number of sponsors was 366%. In addition to the clubs, the brands also began to have an influence in the competition. For this season, bet365 signed a three-year contract with UEFA to sponsor the Champions League. It is the first betting house to invest directly and sponsor the competition.
“We expect a successful partnership that not only elevates the experience of our fans but also supports efforts to protect the integrity of the sport,” said Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA's marketing director, regarding the partnership.
After betting houses, airlines are the second industry that invests the most in European clubs in this edition of the Champions League. Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City are some of the eight clubs that have the aviation industry in the central space of their uniforms.
The last season that did not have a betting house as the main sponsor was 2014/2015. Twenty years earlier, in 1994/1995, the competition had for the first time a team sponsored by a betting brand. At that time, SV Casino Salzburg - today called Red Bull Salzburg - displayed the name and brand of Casino Salzburg on its shirt.
Source: UOL
