Chinese car brand Chery has signed up as a principal partner for this year’s Soccer Aid for UNICEF UK. The annual celebrity charity football match returns to the London Stadium on 31 May for its 20th anniversary.
The partnership will see Chery closely involved in what is one of the UK’s biggest charity sporting events. Soccer Aid brings together football legends and celebrities, in front of a crowd of around 70,000 fans – all while raising money for UNICEF’s work supporting children around the world.
Created in 2006, Soccer Aid has raised more than £121 million to help give children across the globe a safer, healthier childhood, with last year’s event alone generating more than £15 million for the charity.
Chery says the partnership reflects its growing presence in the UK since launching here last year with its Tiggo family of SUVs. The brand will also become the event’s official car partner and official broadcast partner for the matchday coverage shown on ITV1 and STV.
It’s expected that Chery’s plug-in hybrid Tiggo models – including the Tiggo 7, Tiggo 8 and Tiggo 9 – will be used to help shuttle celebrity players and football legends between training sessions and the match itself. With dozens of stars descending on London in the days leading up to kick-off, the large SUV lineup should prove handy for moving players, pundits and organisers around the capital.
The cars are also likely to be on display around the stadium on matchday itself, giving fans attending the event a chance to see Chery’s latest models up close while enjoying the football and entertainment.
The lineup of stars expected to appear at this year’s Soccer Aid is typically eclectic. Among those confirmed for the 2026 match are Soccer Aid founder Robbie Williams alongside actors, sports personalities and TV stars including Tom Hiddleston, Wayne Rooney, Usain Bolt, Paddy McGuinness, Olly Murs and Jordan North.
The partnership also follows another recent marketing move from the brand in the UK – a collaboration with former England and Liverpool striker Peter Crouch and his wife Abbey Clancy to promote the flagship Tiggo 9 plug-in hybrid SUV.
That campaign, which focuses on family life and everyday usability, forms part of Chery’s broader push to build awareness of the Tiggo range in Britain. With the Soccer Aid partnership now added to the mix, the brand will have a high-profile platform in front of millions of TV viewers and thousands of fans at the stadium itself.
Farrell Hsu, country director at CHERY UK, said: “We’re delighted to announce our principal partnership with Soccer Aid, a unique event that brings families together across the UK to support the vital work of UNICEF.
“Our new collaboration not only allows us to support an event that truly matters to our customers, but it also underlines a longstanding partnership between Chery and UNICEF on an international stage. We’re hugely excited for the main event at London Stadium this Summer.”
The sponsorship continues Chery’s wider global relationship with UNICEF. Parent company Chery International has committed $12 million since 2023 to support global education programmes run by the charity.
