There’s no getting away from the fact that the Champions League is now a global phenomenon.

Just like Europe’s biggest leagues, it’s no longer confined to the home country – or continent – and is followed all over the world.

This week – just in time for the knockout stages of this year’s competition – UEFA launched a new Champions League account on Chinese digital messaging app WeChat to connect with fans in China.

In November, UEFA launched the Champions League on Weibo – the social media network which owns WeChat – to boost its profile in the country and the news that they have now launched on WeChat will come as the next logical step.

Content produced for the platform will include highlights, player interviews and clips from classic competition moments as well as matchday build-up designed to encourage engagement.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA’s marketing director said “[our] decision to set up social media platforms in China was an easy one,”

“Over 125 million fans globally follow the existing Uefa Champions League social media accounts, and we know there is considerable interest in the world’s premier club football competition in China, so we want to be in a position to give our fans there premium content in their own language.”

This is the time of the year when the Champions League really comes into its own. In the past few seasons, the knockout games in the spring have been thrilling spectacles and it’s clear UEFA is seeking to capitalise on that with more social media content for its fans around the world.

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