Alibaba Group signs 6-year AI deal with Uefa, will bring 360 replay tech to major events

Alibaba Group and Uefa are bringing the Chinese giant’s 360-degree replay technology to football, after signing an exclusive six-year deal covering several major tournaments in Europe. The partnership, which has been widely reported in state media, will see the sport’s regional governing body join the International Olympic Committee and NBA China, among others, in working with Qwen, Alibaba’s artificial intelligence model. With European football accelerating its digital transformation and fan engagement, Alibaba will become the official AI, cloud services and e-commerce partner for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League from the 2027-28 season to the 2032-33 season, as well as Euro 2028. Aleksander Ceferin, the Uefa president, said he believed the technology company’s expertise in artificial intelligence would help improve the experience of fans globally, while driving new ways for people to watch the sport. “Together with Alibaba, we will bring fans closer to the game in newer and more meaningful ways, making our competitions more engaging, more accessible and more immersive, while preserving the traditions, emotions and spirit that define European football,” Cerefin said at a signing ceremony in Budapest hours before Paris Saint-Germain’s penalty shoot-out win over Arsenal.

During the partnership, Alibaba will use its AI technologies, including its Qwen large language model, to support fan interaction, media content management and event communications. Supported by its global cloud infrastructure and e-commerce platforms, the company will also help deliver more immersive viewing and content experiences for Uefa competitions, giving fans the opportunity to watch replays of the action from all angles. Alibaba Group chairman Joe Tsai said Uefa’s strong interest in the intersection of sports and technology was one of the key drivers behind the partnership. “AI is changing sports, and it is changing the fan experience,” Tsai said. “At the Paris Olympics and the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, we saw how AI-powered 360-degree replay technology could create a more immersive viewing experience for fans. “The part that excites me most is the possibility of using AI to transform the fan experience. We look forward to using our Qwen large language model to help fans access information about football, clubs and players in more interactive ways.” The partnership marks another major step in Alibaba’s growing involvement in the digital transformation of global sports events.

Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post and Tsai is chairman of the board. Alibaba became a Worldwide Olympic Partner in 2017 and has since supported the IOC’s digital transformation efforts. Cloud-based broadcasting was used on a large scale during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, while the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 saw Olympic core systems fully migrated to the cloud for the first time. During the Paris Olympics in 2024, cloud broadcasting surpassed satellite transmission for the first time to become the primary broadcasting method.

At the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the IOC introduced the first official Olympic large language model based on Alibaba’s Qwen technology. “We believe that football is a universal language, and the unifying power that the sport has shown to all fans at all levels has brought Alibaba and Uefa together,” Tsai said. “I look forward to working with Uefa to realise our vision of cooperation – we will invest in cloud computing, full-stack AI and global e-commerce capabilities to help Uefa present a series of iconic events to fans around the world.”