Premier League Taps Microsoft as AI and Cloud Partner in Five-Year Deal

The Premier League has entered a five-year strategic partnership with Microsoft, naming the tech company its official cloud and artificial intelligence partner. The collaboration will focus on enhancing the fan experience through AI integration and modernizing the league’s digital infrastructure.

At the core of the initiative is the introduction of the Premier League Companion, an AI-powered assistant embedded within the league’s official app and website. Built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Foundry Services, the Companion uses generative AI to surface personalized insights, match data, video content and historical context in real time. Drawing from a repository of 30 seasons of statistics, 300,000 articles and 9,000 videos, the tool offers fans new ways to engage with the game. For example, it can quickly determine how a goal scored by Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucouré in February 2025 compares with the fastest goals in league history.

The Companion also supports the league’s global growth ambitions. Planned updates include multilingual capabilities, such as real-time translation of match audio and commentary, as well as audio summaries—making the experience more accessible for international audiences.

In the realm of fantasy football, AI will enhance the Fantasy Premier League platform by offering personalized recommendations, helping users build competitive lineups based on historical data, player performance and upcoming fixtures.

Alexandra Willis, the Premier League’s director of digital media and audience development, emphasized the importance of enabling both seasoned fans and newcomers to connect with the league. The AI assistant will offer prompts such as, “What is the club’s relegation history?” or “Show me this team’s greatest goals,” fostering a deeper, more tailored engagement.

To support this transformation, the Premier League is migrating its data infrastructure to Microsoft Azure. The move will enable scalable data management, improved content curation, and more efficient workflows across its operations. Internally, the league will adopt Microsoft 365, Power Platform and Dynamics 365 to modernize collaboration and business functions.

Will Brass, chief commercial officer for the Premier League, said the partnership will deliver value not just for fans, but also for clubs, broadcasters and licensees. “Content, which is rich and historic, is as readily available as can be,” Brass said. “We’re opening up access to that with Microsoft’s technology.”

As part of the long-term vision, fans may eventually be able to ask open-ended questions—such as, “What are the five best goals of all time?”—and receive curated responses that combine video, statistics and editorial analysis.

The partnership underscores the league’s broader ambition to grow its global footprint and engage more meaningfully with supporters across all platforms. As the new season approaches in August, fans can expect an experience that is more intelligent, personalized and inclusive—underpinned by Microsoft’s AI and cloud capabilities.