Qatar scores Champions League deal in battle for Gulf skies

Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect

Qatar Airways has added a new trophy to its prestigious sponsorship collection: a Uefa Champions League deal that runs until 2030.

The partnership, announced last week and estimated to cost around €500 million ($555 million), follows the airline’s tie-up with the the European Championships earlier this year and complements the Doha-based carrier’s sponsorship of the F1 World Championship until 2027.

Qatar Airways’ move towards securing event-focused sponsorship deals is significant. It marks a step change for the airline and, more broadly, highlights an increasingly focused battle among Gulf airlines for market share and consumer eyeballs.

Diverging from its history of high-profile shirt sponsorships, such as AS Roma of Italy and Boca Juniors of Argentina, Qatar Airways seems to be taking a different tack.

The airline’s segue into big money events is consistent with its post-Qatar World Cup strategy, in which the small Gulf nation is seeking to utilise its legacy infrastructure to host tournaments and competitions.

The 2027 Fiba Basketball World Cup will be held in Qatar, as will the 2030 Asian Games. Rumours are also afoot about a 2036 Qatar Olympic Games bid and a deal to become the home of rugby union’s Nations Championship.

Qatar Airways will be keen to leverage major sports events to transport fans, officials and general travellers to its soon-to-be expanded Hamad International Airport. 

However, it should be noted that the Gulf’s skies are becoming ever more crowded as the UAE and Saudi Arabia pursue similar strategies.

Diego Puletto/UEFA via Getty Images

For more than two decades, Dubai has used sport sponsorships as a means to position itself as a transit centre, a tourist destination and a place to watch world class sport.

Through its roster of deals with the likes of current Champions League holders Real Madrid and all four tennis grand slams, Emirates airline has been able to establish Dubai as the regional hub of choice for international travellers.

Set to run until 2026, Emirates’ Real Madrid deal is worth €70 million per season. The Dubai carrier currently represents the biggest threat to Qatar Airways’ ambitions – both on the sports fields and in the sky. 

Regional aviation competition will only intensify as Dubai embarks upon an airport expansion plan which will result in it becoming the world’s biggest aviation centre by 2050.

One imagines that the boldness of this ambition will be accompanied by even more spending on sport sponsorship deals.

And there’s more. Neighbouring Saudi Arabia also plans to increase its aviation capacity dramatically, following the launch of deep-pocketed national carrier Riyadh Air.

Sport sponsorships, though only one element of Gulf aviation strategy, long ago proved their worth

In 2023 the new Saudi carrier signed a front-of-shirt sponsorship contract with Real Madrid’s cross-town rivals Atlético. Some pundits have speculated that more deals may be in the offing at the English Premier League’s Newcastle United, given that Saudi Arabia’s PIF owns the club.

As Riyadh prepares to fly its first commercial routes in 2025, it is reasonable to assume that more sport sponsorships are in the pipeline. 

The kingdom’s incumbent carrier Saudia has also recently become more involved in the sponsorship game, signing deals spanning everything from global motorsport to domestic camel racing.

During the pandemic all the Gulf airlines suffered as passenger numbers dipped and state bailouts became commonplace. Abu Dhabi-owned Etihad arguably suffered the most during Covid’s darkest days. Observers at the time even speculated about a merger with Emirates airline.

Today, Etihad is in a very different place. The airline carried 17 million passengers between August 2023 and August 2024, up 70 percent year on year. 

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Etihad’s association with Manchester City – Champions League winners in 2023 – has contributed greatly to awareness of the airline. This reputational uplift was further buoyed when Mumbai City and Melbourne City, both part of the Abu Dhabi-owned City Football Group and sponsored by Etihad, enjoyed similar success in 2023.

Sport sponsorships, though only one element of Gulf aviation strategy, long ago proved their worth to the region. Big-money deals with prominent sports properties are a proven winner for attracting eyeballs, helping to communicate national propositions to the marketplace. 

With airports getting bigger, fleets growing in number and competition rising, it seems likely that Gulf airline sponsorships are likely to continue growing for some time to come.

Simon Chadwick is professor of sport and geopolitical economy at Skema Business School in France