Saudi Arabian Energy Giant Aramco Secures Lucrative FIFA Partnership 

Saudi Arabian oil behemoth Aramco have secured a major multi-year global partnership with FIFA, the global football authority. 

Under the four-year deal reportedly worth US$100m per year, the company have become FIFA’s exclusive worldwide partner in the energy category, with sponsorship rights until the end of 2027, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Aramco hope 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 “new and innovative ways” for fans to engage with FIFA’s events.

It was initially believed that the lucrative deal would last until the 2034 FIFA World Cup, an edition which Saudi Arabia is favourite to win the hosting rights, however, it would not be a surprise to see the oil behemoth renew its deal. 

According to ASN data, Aramco (13.8%, ~US$60.4m) is the second largest spender for its category across the Asian sponsorship landscape since Q321, and with a quarterly average investment of slightly over US$6.1m. In Q224, Aramco is forecasted to spend almost US$13.7m, over 2.2x the average quarterly investment. 

In terms of market, Aramco’s spends are focused on India (67.4%), Thailand (17.3%) and China (15.3%). Some of the company’s biggest investments include a Pan-Asian ICC partnership and Formula 1 deal worth US$10.3m and US$5.4m+, as well as an IPL deal worth US$7.8m.