Just Eat slashes sponsorship team as it axes £40m Champions League deal a year early
Just Eat’s premature exit from its £40m-a-year Champions League partnership has coincided with the takeaway platform gutting its sponsorship department, Morning Wire has learned.
European football chiefs have been forced to bring forward the start of a partnership with Hyundai in place of Just Eat after it opted to terminate its Champions League deal a year early.
It is part of a wider effort to slash costs at the food delivery provider that includes making all but two of its sponsorship team redundant at the start of this month.
Just Eat has spent big on marketing and sponsorship, hiring Snoop Dogg and Katy Perry for ad campaigns and steadily increasing its presence in sport.
It began its partnership with Uefa in 2021 and in 2024 renewed a deal that gave it top-tier partner status across all Uefa club competitions – alongside Heineken, PlayStation, Mastercard and Pepsi – for a further three years.
Although it has terminated its Champions League partnership, it will remain a sponsor of the Europa League and Conference League this season.
Hyundai steps in to gap left by Just Eat
Hyundai has agreed to step in for Just Eat a year earlier than planned, having already struck an agreement that will run for the 2027-31 cycle.
The Korean car maker will be the official automotive partner of the Champions League in an arrangement expected to be announced on Monday.
This season’s Champions League begins in earnest on Tuesday when the first games of the 36-team league phase – which features English sides Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United – are scheduled to take place.
Hyundai’s early commencement was brokered by UC3, the joint venture between Uefa and European Football Clubs which manages the competition’s commercial rights.
Relevent Football Partners is handling sales for UC3 for the 2027-31 cycle, which include Chinese electronics and home appliances manufacturer Haier joining as a Champions League sponsor from next season, it was announced today.
Just Eat’s work with Uefa began at Euro 2020, which took place a year later due to Covid, and expanded into sponsorships of its men’s and women’s club competitions.