Several Manchester City players will travel to China on Monday as part of the club's partnership with Chinese company BYD. City are not playing any matches in Asia's biggest football market this summer, but they are paying extra attention to one of their most recent sponsors.
BYD became the official automotive partner of City in February 2026. The company's logo appears on the sleeves of the men's and women's training kits and inside the dugout at the Etihad Stadium, while a BYD car has led the team bus into the ground for Premier League and domestic cup matches. Alongside CEO Ferran Soriano, players Erling Haaland, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Rodri, Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden have all been used to promote the partnership.
What brings City to Shenzhen?
BYD, which makes electric vehicles as one of its main arms, was also present in Hong Kong for City's friendly with Inter on Saturday night, as it also has sponsorship agreements with the Italian club. A car was located in the corner of Kai Tak Stadium and BYD branding was prominent inside the ground.
With its headquarters in Shenzhen only a short trip across the border from Hong Kong, City are sending some players there to film content with their partners. A number of club officials are also expected to watch City Football Group side Shenzhen Peng City play on Sunday night, although no players will be present as they are only visiting BYD before heading back to Hong Kong.
Why the BYD deal matters
The China stop in City's itinerary highlights the commercial element of the summer tour and underlines the significance the club gives to its recent partnership with BYD. Christian Purslow, a former Liverpool and Chelsea executive, told the Football Boardroom podcast that City had pulled off a coup with the deal.
"[They are] one of the fastest growing companies in the world, the dominant EV maker in the world nudging ahead of Tesla," he said. "Every single football club in the world would want BYD as their automotive car partner; they've gone to Manchester City."
The report notes that there are no suggestions of any links between Manchester City's ownership group and BYD, describing the latter as a huge public Chinese company.
