After serving as the official automotive partner of the UEFA Euro 2024 championship in Germany, BYD has now secured a sponsorship deal with Manchester City Football Club. The club, a 10-time English champion and winner of the Champions League, boasts millions of fans worldwide. Since last summer, BYD has also been a sponsor of Inter Milan.
While BYD’s logo will not appear on the ‘Citizens’ match kits, where the club promotes an airline, the BYD branding will instead feature on the sleeves of the men’s and women’s teams’ training wear. For the men’s team, this begins immediately, while the women’s team will display the logo from the start of the upcoming season. “In addition, BYD will have presence across the Etihad Stadium, with the brand’s logo featuring on the headrests of the dug-out area,” the Chinese company stated.
BYD will also supply vehicles from its BYD and Denza brands to Manchester City. Although BYD manufactures battery-electric buses, the club’s team bus will not initially be sourced from BYD. Instead, “one of the company’s cars will also lead the official Manchester City men’s first team bus into the stadium for Premier League and domestic-cup home fixtures.” BYD will also install energy storage systems and charging points at the City Football Academy, the club’s training and development centre.
It remains unclear whether stars such as Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland, and Gianluigi Donnarumma will travel to training in a BYD or Denza—such partnerships often include vehicles for players to use at official events. However, this has not been confirmed in BYD’s announcement. At the very least, several photos of Manchester City players with the cars have been released.
“Manchester City stands for excellence, innovation and the courage to push beyond limits — values that are deeply rooted in BYD’s DNA,” says BYD Vice President Stella Li, who travelled to Manchester to finalise the partnership. “This partnership is about more than football or mobility; it is about inspiring people around the world through technology that excites, connects and drives a more sustainable future. When innovation meets passion, the impact is truly global.”
Ferran Soriano, CEO of the City Football Group, added: “BYD are global leaders within their field. Leaders in delivering excellence through technology and innovation. Leaders with purpose, to make the world a better place. All values that Manchester City share.”
