Visa Focuses On Asian Football Partnership

Ahead of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar early next year, Visa have agreed a partnership with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The deal will see the global payment services provider become the official regional partner for AFC Asian Cup 2023 and the AFC Champions League in West Asia.  

 Marketing activations will see Visa debut its Visa Coin Toss initiative at the Asian Cup and AFC Champions league matches. It is also rolling out exclusive pitch-side experiences, providing eligible customers with an opportunity to win once-in-a-lifetime opportunities as engagement efforts for its sizeable customer base in the region through immersive sporting experiences and  across high-profile football events.

Following the deal, Datuk Seri Windsor John, the AFC General Secretary, said, “We are delighted to welcome Visa as the AFC’s Official Regional Partner. This latest deal demonstrates the immense value and prestige of the AFC’s competitions, and we thank Visa for the confidence they have shown in Asian football.

“The passion for the beautiful game that exists in the West Asia region reaffirms that football is indeed Asia’s most popular sport, and we look forward to working in close partnership with VISA to create more historic moments for our fans.”

This deal was brokered through Asia Football Group (AFG), the AFC’s commercial agency for the 2023 – 2028 commercial cycle.

Tarek Abdalla, SVP, Chief Marketing Officer Visa Central Europe Middle East and Africa quipped, “This partnership not only underscores our commitment to bringing people together through the universal language of sports, but it also aligns perfectly with our mission to facilitate innovative, convenient, reliable, and secure digital transactions. We are excited to pave the way for the future of digital transactions at upcoming AFC events, offering a seamless and cashless experience for teams, and fans alike.”

According to ASN data, Visa (1.8%, ~US$3.9m since Q121)—which falls just outside the Top 10 for its category—is poised to have a lively Q423 with almost US$2.2m investment, about 5.2x of its quarterly average of US$431k. Some of its most significant spends this year have been in women’s football thanks to the FIFA Women’s World Cup earlier this year, scoring endorsement deals with the likes of South Korean midfielder Cho So-Hyun, Vietnamese striker Huynh Nhu,  Filipino goalkeeper Inna Palacios, Chinese striker Wang Shanshan, China’s captain Wu Haiyan and diminutive Japanese football legend Mana Iwabuchi.