Saudi Arabia’s oil and gas giant Aramco has entered into a four-year global partnership with world football governing body FIFA.
As FIFA’s worldwide partner, the deal, which runs until the end of 2027, gives Aramco exclusivity in the energy category, with sponsorship rights for multiple events, including the World Cup 2026 and Women’s World Cup 2027.
The sponsorship agreement was first reported by The Times last November, with the deal value then said to be worth up to $100 million a year. The contract further strengthens ties between FIFA and Saudi Arabia, which is set to host the 2034 men’s World Cup.
Saudi Arabia has been investing billions of dollars in football, racing, martial arts, golf and other sports around the world.
Through the partnership Aramco and FIFA intend to leverage the power of football to create impactful social initiatives around the world.
Amin H. Nasser, Aramco President & CEO, said: “Through this partnership with FIFA we aim to contribute to football development and harness the power of sport to make an impact around the globe. It reflects our ambition to enable vibrant communities and extends our backing of sport as a platform for growth. Our existing relationship with the Saudi football team Al-Qadsiah, our support for women’s golf through the Aramco Team Series, and our backing of F1 in Schools each demonstrate the possibilities of such partnerships to create pathways for opportunity, positively impact society and promote development at the grassroots level.”
Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, said: “We are delighted to welcome Aramco to FIFA’s family of global partners. This partnership will assist FIFA to successfully deliver its flagship tournaments over the next four years and, as is the case with all our commercial agreements, enable us to provide enhanced support to our 211 FIFA member associations across the globe. Aramco has a strong track record of supporting world-class events, but also a focus on developing grassroots sport initiatives. We look forward to collaborating with them on a variety of initiatives over the coming years.”
Aramco also intends to work with FIFA to drive innovation, identifying opportunities to deploy the Company’s expertise and technologies in the delivery of football events globally. This includes initiatives that aim to provide new and innovative ways for football fans to engage with FIFA’s events.
Highlights
Aramco becomes Major Worldwide Partner of FIFA, with rights across multiple events including FIFA World Cup 26™ and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™
Agreement builds on a shared commitment to innovation, development and creating impactful social initiatives, in line with FIFA’s mission to make football truly global
Partnership to run through to end of 2027
