The 2026 World Cup will take place to a large extent in Verizon’s home market, the US. (FIFA imagery)

Global soccer’s governing body FIFA has struck a commercial deal with telecommunications giant Verizon, covering the 2026 FIFA World Cup as well as the 2027 women’s tournament.

Through a tie-up unveiled today, Verizon becomes the telecommunication services sponsor for the men’s 2026 tournament, to be held across Mexico, the US (where Verizon is headquartered), and Canada. For the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, meanwhile, the brand will act as a tournament supporter.

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FIFA has said that for the men’s tournament, Verizon will “play a vital role across stadiums, official sites, and various parts of the tournament operations.”

Verizon will have the main role of ensuring that its networks can service fans, players, and visitors across stadiums during that tournament.

For the Women’s World Cup, Verizon will engage in fan experiences including “activations, unique giveaways, [and] player meet-and-greets,” during the tournament.

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This tie-up comes after FIFA brought US snack brand Lay’s on board as a sponsor for the same tournaments earlier this month.

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This adds to the brand’s experience as a regional supporter of the last men’s World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and as a tournament supporter for the previous Women’s World Cup in Australia in 2023.

World Cup 2026 will be the largest such edition of the event in history with a record 48 teams and 104 matches taking place across 16 cities (11 US, 3 Mexican, and 3 Canadian), and the expanded sponsorship inventory makes it a major target for prospective partners.

Verizon is an active sports sponsor in the US market – last week, for example, it announced the expansion of its partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), the US sports team ownership group, based around the Capital One Arena.

The 2027 Women’s World Cup will mark the first time that tournament is held in South America.

Other current official partners of FIFA include oil and gas giant Aramco, sportswear company adidas, soft drinks conglomerate Coca-Cola, South Korea’s Hyundai and Kia car brands, global payments service Visa, and Qatari national airline and flag carrier Qatar Airways.