Fifa’s new commercial partnership structure includes dedicated women’s and esports sponsorship rights

For the first time in a long time, FIFA is introducing a new commercial partnership framework. With this new structure, they are providing more possibilities for firms worldwide to partner with the sport of football. They are truly using the FIFA brand and supporting its competitions with this framework. Last week, these three different connection verticals were made public, with a range of packages available in Women’s Football, Men’s Football, and esports/gaming. This is undoubtedly exciting, as these sponsorship rights have previously been on auction collectively. With this, they were potentially limiting the option for firms interested in aligning only with FIFA’s women’s soccer championships.

Women’s soccer and esports

In this new era, FIFA is developing a concept that provides businesses with alternatives and flexibility in reaching their audience. This will be possible through entering into particular agreements on women’s soccer or esports for the first time. The rights to properties and activities in the men’s, women’s, and FIFAe verticals will be retained by FIFA’s global partners. Furthermore, brands will be able to obtain commercial rights to national team competitions within their specific verticals. They will also be able to secure a top rank in all esports tournaments.

Click here to learn more about the newest esports breakthrough, including Roc Nation Sports developing a new esports division for athletes.

Of course, sponsors will benefit from worldwide activation rights for the Women’s World Cup, Men’s World Cup, or FIFAe tournaments. All the while tournament supporters will obtain territorial activation rights for the same assets. We’ll have to wait a little longer as the plan will take off with the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the Men’s 2026 World Cup. This also means a waiting time for Fifa’s other competitions during the following commercial cycle.

The dreams for a new structure

This new structure will enable marketers large and small, worldwide and local, to connect with the sport. This new approach will enable partners to produce more targeted programming and activations that closely correspond with their business goals. Not only that also create approaches to connect partners to passionate fans in the world’s most engaging sport.

FIFA’s decision to split sponsorship rights for women’s properties from those for men’s events follows in the footsteps of other sports organisations such as UEFA. Visa, Hublot, Grifols, and Euronics are among the European soccer governing body’s seven specialised women’s soccer partners. As they build comparable commercial models for men’s and women’s football for the first time, this is a watershed moment in maximising the growth of the women’s game.

Discover the most recent developments in women’s soccer, such as Adidas and UEFA extending their agreement to cover women’s football through 2025.