- Tom Bischof has been named the newest brand ambassador for UNO, announced Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
- The deal comes the same week Bischof officially took over Bayern Munich's No. 8 shirt, vacated by departing midfielder Leon Goretzka.
- UNO reportedly signed Bischof after he celebrated a Bayern goal with an on-pitch "Uno" hand gesture, a habit picked up from card nights with teammates.
Bayern Munich midfielder Tom Bischof has a new sponsor to go with his new jersey number. UNO announced Bischof as its latest brand ambassador on Wednesday, tying the 21-year-old’s off-field reputation as the squad’s self-proclaimed card shark to an official campaign.
The partnership traces back to a Champions League press conference last spring, when Bischof declared himself unbeatable at UNO in front of reporters, a claim teammate Aleksandar Pavlovic immediately challenged as he walked past.
Bischof had already celebrated a goal with a card-themed gesture alongside teammate Lennart Karl, catching Mattel’s attention.
The timing lines up with a bigger moment for Bischof. He’s taking over Bayern’s No. 8 shirt this season after Goretzka’s free-transfer departure, and he’s set for an expanded midfield role under manager Vincent Kompany following his title-winning debut campaign.
Footballers crossing into toy and gaming tie-ins have become a recurring theme this year, with the 2026 World Cup fueling collaborations across the sport: from Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior’s LEGO World Cup campaign to Cafu fronting LEGO’s FIFA World Cup Trophy push.
Bischof’s UNO deal fits a similar mold: a personal quirk turned into a marketable brand story, echoing how David Beckham’s Fortnite Icon Series debut turned his own crossover appeal into a campaign built around fandom rather than football itself.
UNO has leaned into athlete tie-ins before, including a Nike collaboration built around Giannis Antetokounmpo for UNO’s 50th anniversary and its UNO Elite NFL line, which has featured players like Micah Parsons. The brand has also worked with digital personalities such as Ale e Pié.
Takeaways
This one’s a reminder that the best endorsement deals aren’t always the biggest; they’re the ones with a story that already exists.
UNO didn’t invent Bischof’s love of the game; they just formalized it. That’s a cheaper, more authentic play than building a campaign from scratch, and it’s a template other brands watching young athletes’ social habits might want to copy.
Does a playful, low-stakes deal like this do more for UNO’s visibility than a splashier athlete campaign would? Could this open the door for more Bayern teammates (Pavlovic or Karl), both part of the original “Uno” joke, to land their own tie-ins?
