Alipay and UEFA Strike Partnerships in National Team Football Competitions

Union of European Football Association (UEFA) and Alipay announced in Shanghai their global partnerships on Nov. 9, for all UEFA national team football competitions from 2018 to 2026, including UEFA Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.

“We are proud to announce this unique and groundbreaking partnership with Ant Financial and Alipay for UEFA’s national team competitions,” UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said.

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Alipay, with over 700 million active users in China, becomes the Official Global Payment Partner,
Official Global Digital Wallet and FinTech Partner, for all men’s national team events in the coming eight years. The payment app under Ant Financial will be involved in a total of eight competitions, spanning 420 matches and having an estimated total live audience of 7.4 billion people.

“Alipay is at the forefront of digital payments and in association with its global partners, Alipay has unique connections with over 900 million users. We believe the partnership will further innovate the way in which UEFA engages with football fans around the world,” Čeferin added.

UEFA announced in 2014 that the Euro 2020 will be held in 13 cities, 12 countries in Europe, which provides huge opportunities for Alipay’s global strategies.

With the company of Eric Jing, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ant Financial, Čeferin experienced the Chinese style “facial recognition payment” in Shanghai. He was impressed by Alipay’s technical capabilities to ensure accurate and safe recognition.

“We are thrilled to work with UEFA to bridge the world through the common language of football. We will empower UEFA to engage with football fans around the world through digital platforms and help UEFA reach and interact with a potential audience of billions in Asia,” said Jing.