German soccer’s DFB governing body has added the country’s Edeka supermarket chain as its latest prominent commercial partner ahead of the team’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign and its UEFA Nations League playoffs advancement.
Edeka, which boasts over 6,000 locations across Germany, becomes the official nutrition partner of the DFB’s men’s national team, and will launch a range of co-branded activations around those locations to promote the team.
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Alongside in-store activations, the deal will entail promotional methods such as competitions, and collection campaigns bearing DFB iconography, along with the typical in-stadium branding presence during Germany games on pitch-side hoardings.
Announced on March 24, the deal was first visible at Germany’s Nations League playoff draw with Italy, which saw the team through to the semi-final of the competition.
Germany will kick off its World Cup qualification campaign in September, with matches against Slovakia, Northern Ireland, and Luxembourg all to come over the following months in a group Germany is expected to dominate en route to the 2026 competition.
Earlier this month, the DFB welcomed back German brewery Bitburger as a partner, after a six-year absence.
The DFB’s list of top-tier sponsors currently includes brands such as Volkswagen, Adidas, Continental Tire, Strauss, and Interwetten.
Elsewhere in international soccer, Argentina’s AFA governing body is continuing to leverage the team’s success by expanding its global branding presence courtesy of a new partnership with international banking giant HSBC focused on the Indian and Singaporean markets.
As a regional sponsor in the two Asian territories, HSBC will promote the Argentine national team through its own qualification process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is in its closing stages, with four matches remaining across June and September.
The deal was announced on March 24, ahead of Argentina’s 4-1 defeat of arch-rivals Brazil – which secured the team qualification to the 2026 World Cup.
HSBC will conduct fan-focused activations and other initiatives to promote the bank’s brand across Asia in association with Argentina’s and in particular soccer icon Lionel Messi.
India in particular has long been a target market for the AFA, which opened an office in the country in 2021 and has launched a number of commercial partnerships in the region already.
