FIFA WORLD CUP: Keeping sponsors happy and on board ‘worth $1.7bn’
DOHA: The importance of sponsorship to the World Cup and the overall financial health of FIFA has been underlined in the latest survey from a data and analytics specialist.
A first tournament in the Middle East will see 27 official brand sponsorship partners with prime marketing rights, says GlobalData. The combined value is estimated at $1.7bn.
However the average sponsorship cost of $63.26m over the current four-year World Cup rights cycle means only the biggest international brands can join the party.
GlobalData’s report, ‘Business of the FIFA 2022 World Cup’, estimates that 15 of the 27 brands partnering directly with the tournament in 2022 are making their FIFA World Cup partnership debut.
Seven of the partnerships announced thus far already hold a value worth in excess of $100m for this tournament cycle.
GlobalData’s Jake Kemp said: “The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting competition on the planet, bar none. While the Super Bowl often claims to be the biggest sporting show every year come February, the reality is that its viewing numbers and commercial value pale in comparison to the FIFA World Cup.
“No other competition offers brands an opportunity to promote their products and services on as large or as wide as a scale as the premium soccer competition.
“Its unparalleled position in the sports market equates to a higher price point in the sponsorship market, as the biggest brands look to ensure visibility at the biggest international event.”
Current sponsors include Wanda and Qatar Airways while the involvement of Adidas, first as supplier and then as sponsor/partner, dates back to Mexico in 1970, when it first served as the ball supplier.
Kemp added: “While the tournament holds a diverse commercial appeal, the financial services sector is the most influential, with five partnerships. This includes two with brands involved in cryptocurrency, as FIFA capitalized on the crypto boom earlier this year before they began to struggle.
“A return of the US national team to the World Cup means that sponsorship from the US has been high, with American brands accounting for a third of all tournament sponsors in 2022.”
More: ‘The Business of the 2022 FIFA World Cup’
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