Alibaba Group and Uefa are bringing the Chinese giant’s 360-degree replay technology to football, after signing an exclusive six-year deal covering several major tournaments in Europe.
The partnership, which has been widely reported in state media, will see the sport’s regional governing body join the International Olympic Committee and NBA China, among others, in working with Qwen, Alibaba’s artificial intelligence model.
With European football accelerating its digital transformation and fan engagement, Alibaba will become the official AI, cloud services and e-commerce partner for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League from the 2027-28 season to the 2032-33 season, as well as Euro 2028.
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Aleksander Ceferin, the Uefa president, said he believed the technology company’s expertise in artificial intelligence would help improve the experience of fans globally, while driving new ways for people to watch the sport.
“Together with Alibaba, we will bring fans closer to the game in newer and more meaningful ways, making our competitions more engaging, more accessible and more immersive, while preserving the traditions, emotions and spirit that define European football,” Cerefin said at a signing ceremony in Budapest hours before Paris Saint-Germain’s penalty shoot-out win over Arsenal.
During the partnership, Alibaba will use its AI technologies, including its Qwen large language model, to support fan interaction, media content management and event communications.
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