UEFA locks in Amazon as official sponsor of women's competitions

The GIST: Hashtag: It’s all happening in European women’s soccer. UEFA celebrated Saturday’s Women’s Champions League (UWCL) final with a handful of business wins, showcasing the ever increasing value of women’s club soccer on the continent.

The sponsor: On Friday, UEFA locked in Amazon as an official sponsor of its women’s competitions. Amazon Web Services will develop an online store for UWCL merch and debut the company’s first marketing campaign for a major international sporting event ahead of the 2025 Women’s Euro in Switzerland.

The demand: A sellout crowd of 33K filled Eindhoven’s Philips Stadium on Saturday, breaking the Netherlands’ women’s soccer attendance record. The hype comes as no surprise — 50M fans in 230 territories watched DAZN’s free UWCL coverage on YouTube this season, up 17% YoY. International love.

• Viewership among women grew 3% YoY and was also up for those aged 13 to 34, while mobile device viewing jumped 53%. DAZN will shift its UWCL broadcasts behind a paywall during the upcoming season for the next phase of its four-year deal, which expires in 2025.

Zooming out: Amazon’s sponsorship caters directly to the UWCL’s growing audience and adds a new revenue stream. UEFA’s successful monetization of the competition also shows demand outside of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and value in regularly occurring club matches. Strike while the iron’s hot.