TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alibaba Group announced today an eight-year Presenting Partnership with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in the name of Alibaba E-Auto, an “Internet car” brand owned by Alibaba Group, for the FIFA Club World Cup. Alibaba E-Auto and the FIFA Club World Cup will partner to promote the world’s most prestigious club football competition, now officially known as the “FIFA Club World Cup Presented by Alibaba E-Auto,” to a global audience through the exclusive rights associated with the Presenting Partnership of the tournament.
This sponsorship is an important step in Alibaba Group’s long-term strategic focus on health and happiness, and a commitment to promoting sports across China and beyond. Alibaba Sports Group, established by Alibaba Group together with Sina Corporation and Yunfeng Capital in September 2015, was instrumental in securing this partnership with FIFA Club World Cup. Alibaba Sports Group was created with the mission to reshape China’s sports industry through Internet-enabled technologies.
“Alibaba E-Auto, owned by Alibaba Group, is proud to be the Presenting Partner of the FIFA Club World Cup for the coming eight years,” said Daniel Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of Alibaba Group. “Sports is at the intersection of Alibaba Group’s strategic themes of health and happiness, and we look forward to adding new value for participants and consumers in the sports sector through data-driven Internet technology. Partnering with a major sporting event with a global audience such as FIFA Club World Cup is also an important part of Alibaba Group’s globalization strategy for connecting China to the world.”
Thierry Weil, FIFA Marketing Director, said, “We are delighted to welcome Alibaba E-Auto as Presenting Partner of the FIFA Club World Cup and are excited to be working closely with them to embark on a journey to reach fans across the world. We also hope to benefit from their innovation, and are looking forward to seeing what they can bring to the FIFA Club World Cup over the next eight years.”
Under the agreement, Alibaba E-Auto will become the exclusive Presenting Partner for the FIFA Club World Cup from 2015 to 2022. This year’s tournament will include eight matches which will be held from December 10 to 20 in Japan. Alibaba E-Auto will present the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award at each game, including the tournament MVP at the championship game on December 20.
China’s leading football club Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao claimed the 2015 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League title for the second time in November and will be playing against Club América at the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup on December 13 in Osaka, Japan. Alibaba Group acquired a stake in Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao in June 2014. Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao is the first and only Chinese football club to win the AFC Champion League twice.
Alibaba E-Auto is a brand under Alibaba Group in which Alibaba Group and Shanghai Automotive Industry Cooperation (SAIC) have joint cooperation to develop an “Internet car” expected to be available in 2016.
About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company is the largest online and mobile commerce company in the world in terms of gross merchandise volume. Founded in 1999, the company provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help businesses leverage the power of the Internet to establish an online presence and conduct commerce with hundreds of millions of consumers and other businesses.
Alibaba Group’s major businesses include:
- Taobao Marketplace (www.taobao.com), China’s largest online shopping destination
- Tmall.com (www.tmall.com), China’s largest third-party platform for brands and retailers
- Juhuasuan (www.juhuasuan.com), China’s most popular online group buying marketplace
- Alitrip (www.alitrip.com), a leading online travel service platform
- AliExpress (www.aliexpress.com), a global online marketplace for consumers to buy directly from China
- Alibaba.com (www.alibaba.com), China’s largest global online wholesale platform for small businesses
- 1688.com (www.1688.com), a leading online wholesale marketplace in China
- AliCloud (www.alicloud.com), a provider of cloud computing services to businesses and entrepreneurs
