What UC3 does

UC3 (UEFA Club Competitions SA) is a private joint venture between UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC) that commercially manages UEFA's elite men's and women's club competitions. The company was incorporated in May 2017 as a UEFA subsidiary and began full commercial operations on 1 January 2025 from its headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland (Route de Genève 46), operating with 11-50 employees under joint leadership of Guy-Laurent Epstein (also UEFA Director of Marketing) and Charlie Marshall (also CEO of EFC). The 800+ EFC-represented clubs are the supply side of UC3's two-sided market; UEFA's regulatory authority is the other.

UC3 controls all commercial rights — media, sponsorship, and licensing — for seven competitions: the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, UEFA Women's Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Youth League, and UEFA Futsal Champions League. Core technology is a commercial rights management and sales platform that runs formal tender processes, exclusive negotiation windows, and category-exclusive sponsorship packages across global territories. The June 2026 multi-year partnership with Alibaba Cloud adds Qwen LLM-backed capabilities for fan engagement and content management through 2032/33.

The revenue model is a hybrid of media rights sales (territorial, transaction-fee based), global sponsorship and category partnerships (licensing/royalty structure including official suppliers in ball, soft drinks, beer, payments, and sports betting), and licensing rights. The 2024-27 cycle generated over €4.4 billion in total competition revenue (a 25%+ increase from the prior cycle), and UC3 is projecting over €6 billion in total income for the 2027-31 cycle, including more than €1 billion in annual commercial revenue and €775 million across 19 broadcast territories. Customers are exclusively enterprise — global broadcasters, streaming platforms, and consumer brands — acquired through enterprise field sales, formal tender processes, and invitation-only negotiation periods.

Name

UC3

Legal name

UC3 (UEFA Club Competitions SA)

Website

https://uc3.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UC3 is a joint venture between UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC) that manages commercial rights — media, sponsorship, and licensing — for UEFA's elite men's and women's club competitions, serving global broadcasters, streaming platforms, and enterprise brand sponsors through tender-driven sales cycles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Commercial Rights Management

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Collegiate Athletic Conferences & Associations (MPAKACAA)

Keywords

• Sports media rights
• Commercial rights management
• Sponsorship sales
• Broadcast rights licensing
• Football partnership deals

Headquarters

HQ city

Nyon

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Media Rights Sales: UC3 generates primary revenue through the sale of media/broadcast rights for UEFA club competitions including Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, and Women's Champions League across global territories. The 2024-27 cycle generated record revenues exceeding €4.4 billion.
2. Sponsorship and Commercial Partnerships: UC3 manages and sells sponsorship rights across multiple categories including official match ball supplier, soft drinks, sports betting, beer/alcohol, payments technology, and general commercial partners for UEFA men's and women's club competitions.
3. Licensing Rights: UC3 oversees licensing rights for UEFA club competitions including visual identity, promotional materials, and digital content licensing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

UC3 is the centralized commercial entity that manages, markets, sells, and delivers all commercial rights (media/broadcast, sponsorship, and licensing) for UEFA's elite men's and women's club football competitions — including the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Women's Champions League, Super Cup, Youth League, and Futsal Champions League. The company runs multi-year tender processes, exclusive negotiations, and bilateral deals to monetize broadcast rights and commercial partnerships globally.

Product overview

UC3 is a joint venture between UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC) that serves as the commercial entity for managing commercial rights to UEFA club competitions. The company operates as a unified platform overseeing media rights sales, sponsorship partnerships, and licensing for seven major competitions: UEFA Champions League (UCL), UEFA Europa League (UEL), UEFA Conference League (UECL), UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL), UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Youth League, and UEFA Futsal Champions League. UC3 handles the complete commercial rights lifecycle from strategy development through sales and delivery, working with broadcasting and sponsorship partners to generate revenues that benefit European football.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Rights Management Services End-to-end management, marketing, sale, and delivery of media rights, sponsorship rights, and licensing rights for UEFA's elite men's and women's club competitions, sold to broadcasters and brand partners globally on territorial or category-exclusive bases.
• UEFA Champions League UEFA's premier men's club competition and club football's ultimate stage where top European clubs compete, representing the core commercial property whose media and sponsorship rights UC3 sells.
• UEFA Europa League UEFA's second-tier men's club competition featuring ambitious clubs progressing toward the elite level, whose commercial rights are managed and sold by UC3.
• UEFA Conference League UEFA's third-tier men's club competition providing emerging clubs with a platform to prove themselves, with commercial rights managed by UC3.
• UEFA Women's Champions League UEFA's elite women's club football competition showcasing top female players and clubs, with commercial rights managed by UC3 and record viewership under expanded media distribution.
• UEFA Super Cup Annual UEFA super cup match between winners of the Champions League and Europa League, with commercial rights managed by UC3.
• UEFA Youth League UEFA youth club competition providing Europe's brightest young talents a developmental platform, with commercial rights managed by UC3.
• UEFA Futsal Champions League UEFA's premier futsal club competition for Europe's top futsal clubs, with commercial rights managed by UC3.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25% revenue increase to over €4.4 billion for the 2024-27 cycle
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered major, flagship, minor and regional.

• DecathlonmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 June 2026Decathlon unveiled official match balls for the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League and Conference League campaigns, supplying match balls throughout those competitions.
• Alibaba CloudflagshipTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2026Alibaba Cloud has been selected as the AI and cloud computing partner for UEFA and UC3 under a multi-year agreement covering the 2027/2028 through 2032/2033 seasons. Alibaba will provide exclusive cloud and AI services and serve as e-commerce partner, supporting UEFA in building AI capabilities using its Qwen LLM for fan engagement and content management. The partnership builds on Alibaba Cloud's existing role as preferred cloud and AI partner for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• NikemajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 April 2026Nike entered exclusive negotiations with UC3 to become the official match ball supplier for the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League from 2027 to 2031. If concluded, this would replace Adidas after 25 years as ball supplier following a competitive tender process launched earlier in 2026.
• PepsiCo (Pepsi)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 March 2026PepsiCo, through its Pepsi MAX brand, partnered with UC3 to present the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show featuring The Killers as headline performers at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest on May 30th, 2026. The partnership includes promotional activities, short films featuring Sir David Beckham, and global broadcast across UEFA's official YouTube channel.
• The KillersminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 March 2026The Killers headlined the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi on May 30th, 2026 at Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary. The rock band, which has sold over 35 million albums globally, performed a career-spanning setlist including 'Mr. Brightside' minutes before the Champions League Final match.
• UEFA (Union of European Football Associations)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUEFA is one of two equal shareholders in UC3 alongside EFC. UEFA controls all regulatory and sporting matters including formats, club licensing, regulations, and revenue distribution as prize money and solidarity payments. A memorandum of understanding first signed in 2008 and extended until 2033 underpins the joint venture.
• European Football Clubs (EFC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEFC is the sole representative body of more than 750 top tier clubs participating in Europe's domestic leagues and is equal co-shareholder with UEFA in UC3. EFC revenues from the joint venture have increased by more than 25% to over €4.4 billion. EFC chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi leads the organization.
• AdidasmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdidas has been the official match ball supplier for UEFA Champions League since 2001, representing a 25-year partnership. UC3 launched a match ball tender for 2027-31 cycle in March 2026, with Nike entering exclusive negotiations to potentially replace Adidas.
• CBS (US Television Network)flagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCBS signed an unprecedented six-year deal securing US English language media rights for the 2024-27 and 2027-30 UEFA men's club competition cycles. This deal was cited as demonstrating the trust that partners have in the united vision of UEFA and EFC through UC3.
• WOWOWregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWOWOW secured rights to broadcast UEFA men's club competitions and UEFA Women's Champions League in Japan.
• Ziggo SportregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorZiggo Sport entered exclusive negotiation period for UEFA men's club competitions media rights in the Netherlands.
• Anheuser-Busch InBevmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerUC3 entered exclusive negotiations with Anheuser-Busch InBev for UEFA men's club competition sponsorship.
• PepsiComajorGTM or Marketing PartnerUC3 entered exclusive negotiations with PepsiCo for UEFA men's club competition global soft drinks partnership.
• Euronics GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEuronics Group became UEFA Women's Champions League sponsors.
• Sports Betting PartnersmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerUC3 entered exclusive negotiations in the sports betting category for UEFA men's club competitions partnership.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Relevent Sports: Sports media and advisory firm that partnered with UC3 on the 2026 official match ball tender. Adjacent enabler rather than competitor, but operates in the same sports commercial rights ecosystem as UC3.

Regional players

• CONCACAF: Confederation for North/Central American and Caribbean football, commercially managing regional competitions including the Champions Cup. Peer in regional football rights commercialization with overlapping broadcaster/sponsor relationships.
• CONMEBOL: South American football confederation commercializing rights to Copa Libertadores and other regional competitions. Comparable in function (regional confederation commercial rights sales) but non-overlapping geography, relevant as a structural benchmark for rights tendering.

Broad incumbents

• European Football Clubs (EFC): Representing body for 750+ top European football clubs and the other 50% shareholder of UC3. EFC's CEO Charlie Marshall is co-Managing Director of UC3, making it the most operationally intertwined peer for club football commercial rights.
• FIFA: Global football governing body that commercializes rights to the FIFA World Cup and other national-team competitions. Comparable in regulatory/commercial hybrid structure but operates at global rather than European club level; key indirect competitor for sponsor and broadcaster wallets.
• UEFA (Union of European Football Associations): European football's governing body and 50% shareholder of UC3. UEFA owns the sporting and regulatory rights that UC3 commercializes; while not a direct competitor, it is the closest comparable institution in scale and function for European football commercial rights.

Direct peers

• DFL / Bundesliga International: German Football League operates Bundesliga International to commercialize media rights and sponsorships globally. Direct peer to UC3 for European football rights, competing for the same pool of international broadcasters and sponsors.
• LaLiga: Spanish top-flight league that centrally sells media rights and sponsorship for its clubs. Direct functional peer in football rights commercialization, with comparable international broadcast reach across Latin America and other key UC3 territories.
• Ligue 1 (LFP): French professional football league that centrally manages broadcast and sponsorship rights for its clubs. Another domestic European league rights business structurally analogous to UC3, with overlapping bidder pool for media rights.
• Premier League: The English Premier League centrally commercializes broadcast, sponsorship, and licensing rights for its member clubs - the same model UC3 applies at the European club competition level. Operates as the most valuable domestic football rights business globally and a benchmark for UC3's media rights sales.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uc3official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UC3