UEFA Champions League 'fandom' experience unveiled in Kenya

Beer brand Heineken has launched a marketing campaign dubbed 'Fans Have More Friends' in Kenya with a series of UEFA Champions League (UCL) fan events lined up in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru.

The campaign seeks to encourage football fans to make new friends and connect with each other while cheering their favorite teams thus transforming match viewing experiences from a passive affair into vibrant social events around shared conversations about football and life.

The UCL fan events hosted by Heineken kicked off in Nairobi this week as Bayern Munich took on Real Madrid on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League quarter finals in Madrid.

Other events will be held in Mombasa, Nakuru and Kisumu at later dates, with the last event on May 31, 2026 when the UEFA Champions Leagues final will be played in Budapest, Hungary.

KWAL Innovation Manager Christine Ethangatta Manager said 'Fans Have More Friends' is inspired by research done by Heineken showing that fandom can be a social catalyst to build communities around shared passions and interests.

"This campaign is about turning the energy that fans exhibit when watching their favorite game into a moment of real connection, moving from just being fans into being friends," said Ethangatta.

"As fans, you will have more friends and you'll high-five strangers. So that's what we're bringing alive in the principle of fans have more friends. We're a lot of lonely people in this world, but when you come to our events, you could come alone, but you will make friends. We believe in collaboration and people sharing beautiful moments together."

This was echoed by Heineken Senior Brand Manager at KWAL, Prudence Mutembei, who said: "This campaign celebrates the random, unscripted ways fans connect during football- and the role Heineken plays in bringing them together. Heineken creates the space where fandom becomes a shared experience. We are telling fans that you have more friends than you realize."

"So what we're trying to do is to create a community out of football, to create a space where fans can come and meet new people, engage with new people over something that we all love, which is football."

Last year, Heineken hosted similar events as part of the highly successful UCL marketing campaign the highlight of which was the Kenyan leg of the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour, featuring German football legend Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Globally, Heineken launched the 'Fans Have More Friends' campaign in New York in January this year.

The campaign is about encouraging fans to make new friends and connect with each other when watching a game of football.

The campaign will run throughout 2026 extending to fans of football, F1 Grand Prix and Coechella, a music and arts festival to be held in California, US on April 10-19, 2026.

Research by Heineken shows that 75% of fans say their fandom has helped them meet new people while 59% say it has led to some of their closest friendships.

72% of football fans say language is not barrier to making "football mates" in a bar, signaling the powerful impact of footbal in bringing people together.

Many brands are now turning to fandom to tap into social communities and create immersive experiences built around shared passions and interests.