TA: Budweiser may replace Heineken as the Champions League sponsor, with a new contract costing 200 million euros per year

According to The Athletic, Budweiser may replace Heineken and become the official beer sponsor of UEFA men's club competitions.

TA reported that Budweiser is in exclusive negotiations with UC3, a joint venture between UEFA and Europe's top clubs, to replace Heineken as the beer sponsor of European men's club football competitions. Heineken has been a Champions League sponsor since 1994 and has two years left on its current three-year sponsorship contract, which is worth €120 million per year.

However, it is understood that Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch has proposed to pay 200 million euros per year for a six-year contract that will start in 2027, which will be a 66% annual increase from Heineken's current contract amount.

This is a huge win for Europe’s top clubs and vindicates UC3’s decision to award the global marketing contract for UEFA club competitions to Relevent Football Partners.

UC3 said in a brief statement posted on its website that the global beer sponsorship contract covering the 2027-2033 business cycle is the first to enter the market and that both parties have agreed to "enter an exclusive negotiation period."

Budweiser has been the official beer partner of FIFA since 1986 and was also the official beer sponsor of the Premier League from 2019 to 2024. It was later taken over by Guinness, but Budweiser still maintains an exclusive cooperation agreement with the International Olympic Committee.