Volkswagen has become official mobility partner of UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, starting in 2018.
Under a four-year contract, the company will also be supporting the UEFA 2020 European Football Championship, which is taking place in 13 countries for the first time to mark the 60th anniversary of the competition. Hyundai provided the transport for the 2016 event. VW said the sponsorship would serve mainly to promote the I.D. electric car line from 2020.
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Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, said: "No other sport is as powerful as football or unites so many people."
Volkswagen is at home on roads from the Atlantic to the Urals, between Spitzbergen and Sicily. Just under 1.7 million vehicles were delivered to customers in Europe last year. Passenger cars bearing the round VW emblem are available in all of UEFA's 55 member countries. The automotive brand also operates 21 production plants with around 150,000 employees in seven countries on the continent.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director of UEFA, said: "We are proud to have such a great European brand with such a genuine passion for football at our side."
"Football and Volkswagen are the ideal match. Football is played in almost every country and is inclusive – just like our cars. So the sport offers us the perfect opportunity to present our new orientation. In footballing terms, Volkswagen will be playing an attacking game over the coming years. After all, we are rolling out the biggest offensive in the history of our company in terms of models as well as e-mobility," added Diess.
A Reuters report noted VW last month said it would become the biggest commercial sponsor of Germany's national soccer team, replacing Mercedes-Benz after 45 years.
