ROME – European Football Clubs (EFC) launched its new identity as part of its ongoing strategy to ensure clubs and their interests are at the heart of football. Formerly known as European Club Association (ECA), EFC launches with more than 800 members across 55 nations as one unified voice of clubs, with the new name more clearly embodying and communicating who the organisation represents and what it stands for.

EFC brings together men’s and women’s clubs of all sizes from across the continent — with the mission of helping every member club grow and develop, while ensuring that, collectively, clubs are central to decision-making on the regional and global football stages.

The rebrand of the organisation reflects an incredible transformation already underway. In the past two years alone, EFC has:

More than tripled its membership to over 800 clubs including 139 women’s clubs, having modernised its governance to open its membership like never before and ensure a stronger voice for members of all sizes.

Played a leading role in enhancing competition formats to increase the number of clubs given the opportunity to play European and international club football across the men’s and women’s game, while also improving the format of the competitions, to widespread fan and stakeholder approval.

Reinforced long-term strategic partnerships with UEFA and FIFA, to ensure clubs’ voices are influencing the direction of club football globally, driving significant revenue growth for all clubs in Europe and worldwide, while also securing record funds for clubs for releasing players for national team football.

Delivered on its commitment to all clubs, in partnership with UEFA, by guaranteeing over €440 million annually in solidarity funding for clubs not participating in European competitions, together with $250 million solidarity for the recent FIFA Club World Cup.

Launched a central Membership department providing benefits and services 24/7 for our members, solving real issues that clubs of every size face spanning legal, financial, commercial, digital, scouting and much more.

Additionally, EFC has ensured clubs have a genuine influence in the future of the tournaments in which they participate. In a landmark move, which is unprecedented in world football, in 2025 EFC and UEFA launched the joint venture, UC3, which establishes clubs as equal partners in shaping the commercial future of men’s and women’s European club competitions, with a similar joint venture partnership being put in place with FIFA.

Speaking at the EFC launch event, attended by hundreds of clubs, stakeholders and legends of the game in Rome on the eve of the organisation’s General Assembly, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Chairman of EFC, said: “The launch of EFC is a milestone moment in our great institution’s evolution and modernisation. We have placed ‘football clubs’ and the three most important letters — “EFC” — at the heart of our name, to communicate more clearly who we are, and also what we stand for. However, this is also so much more than a rebrand — it shows we are always thinking differently and pushing boundaries to be even better.

“Most importantly, it is a declaration that football is at the heart of everything we do, and that clubs are at the heart of everything we represent. Our name finally matches our purpose, and our purpose matches our name — we will never stop working for the collective interests of all our members, and the development of club football as a whole.”

The EFC General Assembly in Rome this week will bring together hundreds of leaders from clubs and the wider sport to discuss the future of football. It will include speaking sessions from legends of the game, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lucy Bronze and Sara Gama, and a live episode of The Overlap — the hugely popular football show hosted by Gary Neville, Jill Scott, Jamie Carragher, Ian Wright and Roy Keane.

The event will also include the launch of the EFC Women’s Network, hosted in partnership with Women in Football, and a range of forums for clubs, players and officials to discuss the opportunities and challenges impacting the future of the game, including a session with the leading fan community platform in world sport, Fanatics.

Looking ahead, EFC is committed to continue working proactively with UEFA, FIFA and other global stakeholders to ensure that the voice of clubs is central to shaping football’s future.

Visit our new website www.efcfootball.com for more information.

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UC3 board approves commercial strategy for post 2027 UEFA Men’s Club Competitions cycle

New commercial strategy set to reshape the global media, sponsorship and licensing rights landscape, with first media rights tenders launching on 13 October.

UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC), formerly known as ECA, on Tuesday approved their commercial strategy for the 2027-33 cycle of UEFA men’s club competitions following a board meeting held in Rome as part of EFC’s 32nd General Assembly.

On behalf of its shareholders, UC3 manages the commercial rights to the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Youth League and the UEFA Futsal Champions League, in addition to the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

UC3 was founded as the exclusive rights management company for the UEFA Club Competitions (UCCs) and the trusted commercial steward of the world’s premium international football club competitions.  It brings UEFA and the clubs closer together in partnership to co-manage all commercial aspects of the UCCs, enhancing their value for commercial partners and driving long-term sustainable growth for the competitions. 

Following the launch of the all-new UEFA Women’s Champions League this week, UC3 will imminently go to market with an innovative media, sponsorship and licensing rights strategy for the UEFA Men’s Club Competitions cycle post 2027.  At the heart of the strategy is the recognition that media markets are changing fast, with new global, digital-first entrants offering differentiated fan propositions, whilst established broadcast partners remain eager to ensure optimal visibility for the competitions across Europe and the world.

Beyond media, UC3 will drive a more flexible and targeted commercial model for sponsorship and licensing. Building on a history of proven long-standing global partnerships, the new approach will combine enhanced assets, including one of the most extensive virtual advertising programs in world sport, and content services to create tailored solutions that align directly with partners’ objectives.

By integrating data-led insights and proprietary ad-tech, UC3 will help brands reach fans with more precision and relevance than ever before, while unlocking incremental value across broadcast, digital and live environments. The strategy will also seek to grow opportunities across UEFA’s broader club competition ecosystem, ensuring that the significant audiences delivered by the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League are fully realised commercially.
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Together, these innovations position UC3 to deliver incremental growth, richer engagement and unrivalled value for partners, clubs and fans worldwide.

This will also mark the first UCC sales cycle to be delivered under a new partnership with Relevent Football Partners (RFP), UC3’s recently appointed global marketing and sales agency for the next two commercial cycles. TEAM Marketing remains a core partner of UC3 in helping to deliver the remainder of the current cycle through to 2027.

Further details of the upcoming UCC rights sales will be announced in the coming days ahead of launching the first tenders.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, UC3 Co-Managing Director: “This new strategy reflects our ambition to lead the next phase of growth for UEFA Men’s Club Competitions. By bringing a fresh approach to key markets and introducing innovative new packages, we are setting a new benchmark for how football is brought to fans around the world.”

Charlie Marshall, UC3 Co-Managing Director: “UC3’s role is not simply to sell rights, but to create long-term value for our competitions, clubs and partners. Through industry-leading innovations in broadcasting, technology and sponsorship, UC3 will unlock unique opportunities for media partners and brands and deliver measurable impact for fans across every platform.”
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About UC3
UC3 unites European football’s governing body UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC), representing more than 800 top European clubs, around a new vision for managing commercial rights to UEFA club competitions (the “UCCs”). It is the commercial entity responsible for generating revenues from the UCCs and creating value for our partners. UC3 oversees the management, sales and delivery of all commercial rights (including media, sponsorship and licensing rights) for UEFA’s elite men’s and women’s club competitions.