UEFA's first strategic corporate partner: The companies of Schwarz Group shape European football in a sustainable, responsible and competitive way
Football captivates millions of children across Europe. Whether on the school playground, at a local club or in the stadium, the sport has a unique power to inspire people to move more, to eat better and to lead healthier lives. Europe's biggest tournaments also offer an unrivalled platform to put circular economy into practice at scale, keeping resources in continuous use. Both opportunities call for partners who combine reach with deep operational expertise. That is why Lidl and PreZero are joining forces with UEFA – as the first strategic corporate partner in UEFA's history, a landmark moment in European football.
What sets this partnership apart from conventional sponsorship? It is not built around a single season or tournament, but around lasting, structural impact – a long-term commitment through to 2030, at the highest level, with a clear ambition to actively shape the future of European football.
From school playgrounds to stadiums: Lidl makes healthy eating count
Football is part of everyday life for millions of people. It connects generations and continents. This emotional bond is what makes it such an effective platform for bringing nutritional awareness directly to families and coaches in grassroots sport. Real social change happens on the school playground and at the local club, not only in the stadium. As UEFA's Take Care Nutrition Partner and the exclusive partner of the UEFA Football in Schools programme, Lidl brings its expertise in healthy, conscious nutrition directly into schools and clubs across Europe.
Together with UEFA, Lidl is building a pan-European digital platform offering practical guidance, online courses for teachers and coaches, and age-appropriate content that connects football, education and healthy eating in one place. Through the UEFA Grassroots Awards, Lidl recognises outstanding clubs and initiatives in grassroots sport each year. As Presenting Partner of UEFA Grassroots Week each September, Lidl celebrates community football right across Europe. Each of these programmes is designed to drive deep, sustained change over the long term, towards a more sustainable and competitive future for the sport.
Closing the loop: How PreZero brings circular economy to European professional football
Major European tournaments are vast logistical events with an enormous resource footprint, and until now their circular performance has been nearly impossible to measure systematically. As a pioneer of the circular economy, PreZero steps in as UEFA's operational and strategic partner, guiding the transition away from linear waste management across the entire value chain.
Through standardised, data-driven processes, circular performance in stadiums becomes measurable for the first time. PreZero develops scalable concepts, trains associations and clubs, and aligns UEFA's headquarters in Nyon with certified circular standards. The goal is a robust, lasting infrastructure – one that positions European professional football as a benchmark and prepares clubs for current and future regulatory requirements. PreZero proves that resource conservation and professional sport are not in conflict, but an economic necessity, empowering associations and clubs to link sustainability directly with commercial efficiency. If this transformation succeeds across UEFA's major competitions, it will serve as a blueprint for stadiums, associations and entire industries.
This partnership makes the companies of Schwarz Group an active force in European football – from UEFA EURO 2028 in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland to UEFA Women's EURO 2029 in Germany, and across a wide range of further top-level competitions*. They bring not just the ecosystem of an internationally leading retail group, but real-world operational expertise that delivers structural, measurable impact.
* Women: UEFA Women's EURO 2029, Women's European Qualifiers 2026 and 2028, and UEFA Women's Nations League 2027 and 2029.
* Men: UEFA EURO 2028, UEFA Nations League Finals 2027 and 2029, the European Qualifiers 2027 and 2029, the UEFA Under-21 European Football Championship 2027 & 2029, and UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 and 2030.
