Adidas, Nike and Coca-Cola, the brands associated by consumers with Euro 2024

UEFA Euro 2024 is one of the most watched football competitions in the world, so it's no surprise that famous brands are giving significant sums, through sponsorships, to be associated with it.

The list of official sponsors of this year's tournament includes brands from all over the world, with companies from the host country Germany (Adidas, Lidl, Engelbert Strauss) joined by names from China, Qatar, Austria, France, Holland and the United States of America.

According to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Euro 2020, the previous edition of the tournament that takes place once every four years, generated revenues of 1.88 billion euros, commercial rights, including the sponsorship program, representing 520 million euros from this total, according to Statista. Combined with global media rights, which account for the bulk of UEFA's Euro-related earnings, commercial rights accounted for almost 90% of the association's total revenue from the tournament played in 2021 (not 2020) due to the pandemic.

A TGM Research analysis, taken over by Statista, shows how well consumers know the brands that are paying, together, hundreds of millions to be associated with Euro 2024. The survey was carried out on a sample of 10,501 adults between the ages of 18 and 55, from 26 countries, in May 2024 (before the launch of the competition), and respondents had to name a brand that comes to mind when they think of Euro 2024.

According to TGM Research, the first brands that came to mind for consumers regarding Euro 2024 were Adidas, Nike and Coca-Cola.

According to UEFA's website, Coca-Cola Europe Senior Vice President of Marketing, Javier Meza, said: "We are delighted to align our brand with such an iconic global sporting occasion. The magic of human connection comes alive through those moments of passion shared by fans and football players."

But while Adidas and Coca-Cola are official sponsors of the competition, the Nike brand is not and has never been associated with UEFA. The same goes for Mercedes and BMW, which probably made the list because they are among the most well-known brands in the host country, Germany. Then there is a third category of brands that are on the list, brands that are long-standing partners of UEFA and other UEFA competitions, but are not official sponsors of Euro 2024. These include Heineken, an official sponsor of UEFA Champions League, and Visa, a sponsor of UEFA's women's competitions and a long-standing partner of FIFA, football's global governing body.

• Euromonitor: Euro 2024 - the most sustainable competition ever

UEFA Euro 2024 will be the most sustainable competition ever, with renewable energy in stadiums, minimal lighting and minimal water consumption, respectively with smart games programmed to reduce travel for players and fans, according to a Euromonitor expert.

Justas Gedvilas, Sports and Entertainment Research Manager at Euromonitor International, said: "UEFA is committed to making Euro 2024 the most sustainable European Championship in history. Tournament schedules have been built in a way that minimizes travel between venues, while public transport users will enjoy discounts and other incentives to reduce reliance on cars and flying. All stadiums will benefit from renewable energy, there will be established limits on electricity consumption, including reduced lighting and minimal watering of the pitch. The principles of the circular economy - reduce, reuse, recycle and recover - will underpin waste management practices in and around the venues. These practices will resonate greatly with football fans and consumers in general."