According to Germany's "Süddeutsche Zeitung" website reported on January 16th, the pair of soccer and German car companies has existed for decades. Whether as a jersey sponsor or stadium namer, where there is this German favorite sport, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Porsche will always be present. However, the official travel partner for this year's UEFA European Football Championship (UEFA Europa League) in Germany will be Chinese automaker BYD. UEFA has already made the announcement.

Volkswagen won the official travel partner status during the previous Euros. This summer, BYD will assume that role. But Volkswagen reportedly didn't even apply to be a sponsor this time around, so at least no one can say that the Chinese competitor has now trumped it in soccer marketing as well.

For BYD, this is a perfect opportunity to raise its profile in Europe. While it has recently overtaken Tesla as the largest electric car maker, the visibility of Chinese cars overseas still needs to be raised.

According to a Jan. 15 report on the website of the Spanish newspaper El Economista, Chinese automakers are betting on soccer to further expand their presence in Europe.

Chinese car brands have already penetrated the European market, with most of their products being electric vehicles. To fuel their growth in Europe, some Chinese automakers are choosing to bet on the region's most popular sport, soccer.

The latest example we've seen is a partnership deal between SAIC's MG Motor and German club Leverkusen. The Bundesliga-leading team has been working with the fast-growing MG brand in Europe since Jan. 1. In 2023, MG's sales in Germany are expected to grow by about 35 percent year-on-year.

The partnership reportedly includes integrating the brand into LED advertisements at Leverkusen's home stadium, the Bayer Arena, as well as promoting select MG models at the team's home matches.

Prior to this, MG has partnered with Liverpool FC, which currently leads the Premier League, to work on the UK market. MG is also one of the sponsors of French soccer club Lyon since 2021.

Meanwhile, Chinese automaker BYD will be a partner of Euro 2024. The tournament will be held from June 14 to July 14 in Germany.

BYD is another strong Chinese car brand that has seen its pure electric passenger car sales grow 72.8 percent year-on-year in 2023.