One of the longest and most successful partnerships in modern sports marketing history will continue. Today, FIFA and adidas formally announced an extension of their long-term partnership agreement granting adidas the Official Partner, Supplier and Licensee rights for the FIFA World Cup™ and all FIFA events until 2030. The announcement was made during a ceremony in Moscow/Russia – host of the 2018 FIFA World Cup – by Thierry Weil, FIFA Marketing Director, and Herbert Hainer, adidas Group CEO.
FIFA and adidas have been partners since 1970. This strategic commitment to the FIFA World Cup ensures extensive adidas presence at the world’s most watched sports event until 2030. The contract offers adidas broad licensing and event rights around the FIFA World Cup. adidas will continue to supply the Official Match Ball of the FIFA World Cup and provide unique uniforms for thousands of volunteers. In addition, a wide range of adidas/FIFA World Cup licensed products will be on sale worldwide. adidas also secured similar rights to all other FIFA tournaments during this time period, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Another key component of the partnership includes the close collaboration on a wide variety of development programmes and grassroots events around the world, such as FIFA Goal and the FIFA Football for Hope adidas Exchange Programme. Through FIFA Goal, adidas and FIFA have made more than 150,000 FIFA Goal balls available to football federations since 2008, striving to develop football in their countries. Both partners will continue to provide FIFA Goal balls for this programme as part of the extended partnership. At the same time, adidas will continue to support FIFA in its Football for Hope adidas Exchange Programme by organising workshops and coaching seminars specifically targeted to the needs of selected community-based organisations. Both programmes are key initiatives within FIFA’s social responsibility strategy, which aims to promote the use of football as a tool for social development.
“Over the last 40 years, adidas and FIFA have worked closely together to develop football worldwide. Therefore, it was a natural step for us to extend one of the most successful partnerships in the history of sports marketing,” said Herbert Hainer, CEO of the adidas Group. “We are happy and proud that our close relationship with FIFA will continue. This unique partnership and our extensive presence at all FIFA World Cups will help us to expand adidas’ position as the leading football brand worldwide.”
“Without the support of long-term partners such as adidas, it would simply not be possible for FIFA to host global spectacles such as the FIFA World Cup and to continue our work to develop football worldwide,” said FIFA Marketing Director Thierry Weil. “adidas is an integral part of the FIFA World Cup story, quite literally featuring at the heart of the action at every tournament since the 1970 FIFA World Cup. We are delighted that this long-term strategic partnership will continue until at least 2030 and we are looking forward to writing new chapters of football history together.”