Hyundai becomes Official Partner of the Champions League until 2030-31

Hyundai has become the new Official Automotive Partner of the UEFA Champions League. The agreement between the South Korean manufacturer and Europe's top club competition will come into force in the 2026/27 season and will run for five campaigns, through to the conclusion of 2030/31.

• Hyundai signs a five-season contract with the Champions League, covering 2026/27 to 2030/31.
• The South Korean firm becomes the Official Automotive Partner of the world's most-watched club competition.
• The first model linked to the deal is the IONIQ 3, an electric compact built in Turkey.
• Hyundai operates a network of more than 2,000 sales and aftersales outlets across Europe.
• The brand has been involved in elite football for almost three decades, including World Cups and clubs on several continents.

A five-season deal with the world's most-watched club tournament

The Champions League has established itself as the most-watched club competition on the planet. UEFA estimates that nearly one in every three people worldwide shows interest in following the tournament, a figure Hyundai has valued highly in sealing this partnership. Since its latest expansion, the competition brings together 36 teams from Europe's major leagues, multiplying the commercial exposure for brands associated with UEFA.

"Football unites people like almost nothing else does, beyond languages, borders and generations": José Muñoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company.

Hyundai and football: nearly three decades at the highest level

Hyundai's arrival in the Champions League is far from an isolated move. The South Korean brand has been linked to top-level football since 1999, with a historic presence in major international tournaments and clubs across different continents. Atlético de Madrid is among the clubs with which it has maintained a relationship in recent years.

The company was also involved in the World Cup held this past summer, a recent milestone that Hyundai itself views as a natural stepping stone toward its arrival in Europe's premier club competition. The Champions League now presents itself as the ultimate platform to consolidate its international standing in elite football.

What the partnership means for Hyundai in the European market

The Champions League agreement reinforces the structure Hyundai has built in Europe over more than three decades. The brand maintains its technical centre and design centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany, and operates production plants in the Czech Republic and Turkey. From these facilities, it has grown a commercial network that now exceeds 2,000 sales and aftersales outlets in European markets.

It is on this production and distribution base that Hyundai now builds its arrival as an official partner of the Champions League. The South Korean firm's goal is to extend its image to a global audience that consumes European football every week, particularly in markets where the competition has the strongest television and digital reach.

IONIQ 3: the first model tied to the Champions League agreement

The first vehicle directly associated with this Champions League deal will be the IONIQ 3, a fully electric compact that Hyundai began building this summer at its İzmit plant in Turkey. The model is part of a product offensive that includes five launches for the European market across the 2026/27 season, the first campaign with the brand already as an official partner of the tournament.

The choice of an electric model as the spearhead of the sponsorship fits with Hyundai's electrification strategy in Europe. In recent years the company has consolidated an IONIQ range spanning compacts to SUVs, and the IONIQ 3 will bring the brand's technology to a key segment for European urban mobility.

Hyundai executives on the Champions League partnership

José Muñoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, has highlighted the role of football as a force that brings together people from different cultures and generations. Xavier Martinet, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe, has stated that both the Champions League and Hyundai share the same values of progress, performance and ambition to connect people.