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Soccer’s global governing body Fifa has secured consumer electronics firm Hisense as the first sponsor of its revamped Club World Cup, but reportedly remains locked in a dispute with existing partners Adidas and Coca-Cola about whether their existing deals should also cover the new tournament.
Hisense’s deal makes it an official partner of the Club World Cup, which is taking place in June and July next year across 11 US cities.
The agreement ensures that the Chinese company’s televisions will be visible throughout the 32-team tournament, while Hisense branding will also appear in the video operation room and on pitchside screens during games.
The deal builds on a seven-year relationship which has seen Hisense partner with Fifa for the previous two editions of the men’s World Cup in 2018 and 2022.
“We are delighted to welcome Hisense, a global market-leading brand, as an official partner of the Fifa Club World Cup 2025,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
“Hisense’s commitment to innovation and technology aligns with our vision for this tournament, which will bring together the 32 best teams from around the world for an unforgettable celebration of our game that will revolutionise club football.
“This partnership will offer fans unique ways to engage with the tournament, both on and off the pitch, while laying a technological and innovation-led foundation for the Fifa Club World Cup to flourish.”
Despite landing its first sponsorship deal for the Club World Cup, The Guardian reports that Fifa remains in a dispute with long-standing partners Adidas and Coca-Cola over sponsorship rights for the competition.
Both brands are top-tier Fifa Partners, which is the highest level of association with the governing body and grants them rights across all of the organisation’s men’s, women’s and esports competitions.
The two companies, whose deals run until 2030 and are reportedly worth US$70 million for each four-year World Cup cycle, therefore believe that their contracts should cover the Club World Cup as well.
However, Fifa is looking to negotiate new agreements for the competition, according to the Guardian, which added that the brands have been unwilling to enter a tender process because of their existing arrangements.
Now, the UK newspaper says separate cases have been submitted at the Swiss Arbitration Centre in Zurich to resolve the disputes and are expected to be heard in the coming weeks.
Speaking to The Guardian, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said: “As one of the longest-standing corporate partners of Fifa, we value our relationship and remain focused on continuing our successful partnership together and refreshing and engaging fans around the world.”
Adidas has served as a Fifa partner since the 1970 men’s World Cup and most recently extended its deal in 2013, while Coca-Cola became Fifa’s drinks partner in 1978.
With less than eight months until the Club World Cup kicks off, Fifa has secured its first commercial partner for the competition and will hope the deal encourages other blue-chip brands to sign up for the tournament. The Guardian’s report added that 2026 World Cup sponsor Bank of America and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) are among those who have been approached about sponsoring the event.
The Athletic previously reported that Fifa was targeting up to ten sponsors for the new Club World Cup, each of which would pay more than US$100 million each. However, the tournament remains a long way from what Infantino will have imagined when he originally relaunched what has until now been an annual competition as an expanded quadrennial event in an effort to drive new revenues for soccer’s governing body.
The lack of sponsor interest up to now is understandable given the lack of enthusiasm for the Club World Cup among fans, leagues and players, who have complained of an increasingly crowded schedule and heavy workload. Fifpro and the European Leagues also recently filed a legal complaint against Fifa to the European Commission to protect the welfare of players.
On top of that, and despite a rumoured deal with Apple, Fifa has been unable to secure a broadcast partner for the Club World Cup, which creates further uncertainty for potential sponsors who might want to have a better understanding of the tournament’s reach before investing in the event. Meanwhile, several big teams, such as Liverpool, Barcelona and AC Milan, will not feature at the tournament, further reducing the appeal for brands.
Fifa’s deal with Hisense suggests that it is leveraging existing relationships to get partners onboard for the Club World Cup, but its dispute with Adidas and Coca-Cola indicates it may have been banking on additional support from its existing partners when making its original revenue projections.
Depending on the outcome of the disputes, which could also have implications for Fifa’s other top-tier partners, those estimates increasingly look like they will have to be revised unless there is a drastic change in commercial appetite for the tournament.
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