Visa Deepens Asian Football Involvement With Expanded AFC Deal 

Digital payments behemoth Visa has expanded its partnership with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the next two seasons. 

The expanded deal has cemented Visa’s position as the AFC’s official global supporter as both organisations collaborate on elevating the beautiful game across the continent through AFC’s biggest competitions—including the rejigged AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Women’s Champions League, AFC Champions League Two and  AFC Asia Qualifiers Road to 2026—  and greater fan engagement.   

With fan engagement, Visa is going to roll out a series of initiatives focusing unforgettable fan experiences including the “Visa Coin Toss,” offering cardholders the chance to participate in pre-match ceremonies; the “Final Whistle Experience,” providing winners with exclusive pitch-side access during the final moments of matches; and the “Visa Player Escort Kids Programme,” allowing children to lead players onto the pitch at the Champions League Elite Finals.

Following the announcement, AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John, stated, “Building on the incredible success of the greatest-ever AFC Asian Cup in history, the AFC is delighted to expand our partnership with Visa and welcome them as an Official Global Supporter of our world-class competitions.”

“The strategic reforms introduced to our competitions are already leaving a lasting impact on our teams and passionate fanbase, and we thank Visa for underlining their confidence in the future of Asian football.”

Tarek Abdalla, SVP, CMO for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa – Visa, added, “We are excited to renew Visa’s partnership with the Asian Football Confederation. This partnership highlights our ongoing dedication to uniting people through the universal language of sports and seamlessly aligns with our brand positioning – uplifting everyone, everywhere.”

“Visa is proud to be in the unique position of sponsoring both the AFC Asian Qualifiers and the FIFA World Cup 2026. This provides opportunities to engage with fans as they follow their national team through the qualifying matches and all the way to the finals of the FIFA World Cup in July 2026. We look forward to creating memorable experiences for fans, local communities and teams alike at upcoming AFC events.”

According to ASN data, Visa (18.6%, ~US$5.1m) is the 3^rd largest backer for its category in the Asian sponsorship market since Q222, with an average quarterly investment of US$432,250 during this period. As for Q125, we are forecasting investment of US$520k, about 20.3% higher than the average quarterly investment, and picks up from the quarterly investment of US$389k between Q224 and Q424.