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Aramco, an energy company majority-owned by the Saudi government, has been announced as a sponsor of both the 2026 men’s World Cup and 2027 Women’s World Cup by Fifa.
The sponsorship deal was first reported by The Times last November, with the arrangement then said to be worth up to US$100 million a year. The contract, which runs until 2027, further strengthens ties between soccer’s global governing body and Saudi Arabia, which is set to host the 2034 men’s World Cup.
“We are delighted to welcome Aramco to Fifa’s family of global partners,” Fifa president Gianni Infantino said.
“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 has sponsorship agreements in a number of other sports, including Formula One where it is also a top tier global partner.
This latest partnership was met with condemnation by Amnesty International, who called for change from Saudi Arabia following the agreement with Fifa.
“There is a cruel irony that a Saudi Arabian state-owned company should be considered fit to sponsor the Women’s World Cup when women like Salma al-Shehab and Manahel al-Otaibi remain imprisoned in the Kingdom for peacefully speaking out for gender equality,” Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s head of economic and social justice, said.
“Amnesty International is calling on Fifa to make binding agreements with Saudi Arabia to protect people from exploitation, discrimination, and repression before it finalises any agreement on hosting the tournament. Last month 12 football fans from the country’s Shia minority, who routinely face discrimination, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six months to one year for singing folkloric chants and posting videos of themselves online.
“Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s biggest fossil fuel producers, last year posted the largest annual profit ever made by a company of more than US$161 billion. Amnesty International has urged that income from Aramco should not be deployed to finance human rights abuses, cover them up, or try and gloss over them through sportswashing.
“It is past time that Saudi Arabia acted in humanity’s interest, supported the phasing out of the fossil fuel industry, and helped fund a human rights-based transition to renewable energy, which is essential for preventing further climate harms.”
PA Media contributed to this report.
Fifa’s sustainability efforts have come under criticism, particularly as it prepares to stage the 2030 World Cup in three continents and the more imminent 2026 event across North America.
Now, its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint appears more hollow with the Aramco partnership, which will likely see the Saudi energy firm become one of the organisation’s biggest financial backers. Last month, Aramco’s chief executive Amin Nasser said the world should “abandon the fantasy of phasing out oil and gas and instead invest in them adequately reflecting realistic demand assumptions.”
While both organisations have pledged a ‘shared commitment to innovation and development’, it is unclear exactly what this will entail. Inevitably, some will use the partnership to accuse Fifa of not caring about protecting the sport from environmental dangers, particularly after a Swiss regulator found it had made ‘false statements’ about the reduced environmental footprint at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The partnership also highlights Fifa’s close ties with Saudi Arabia. Previously, soccer’s world governing body had reportedly been close to a sponsorship deal with the Saudi tourism authority prior to last year’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. However, this prompted a public outcry over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
Ultimately no contract was agreed with Visit Saudi and Fifa president Gianni Infantino described the row as a “storm in a teacup”.
Aramco’s sponsorship comes ahead of the expected announcement that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup. Fifa has a track record of bringing on board state-sponsored companies as major partners, with Gazprom and Qatar Airways both sponsoring recent World Cups held in Russia and Qatar respectively.
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