The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) soccer governing body has renewed its wide-ranging partnership with digital payments giant Visa, expanding the deal to cover even more international regions.
Visa has now become an official global supporter of the AFC’s top-tier club competition the AFC Champions League Elite, the secondary Champions League Two, the women’s AFC Women’s Champions League, and national team qualification matches for the World Cup 2026 in the AFC region.
The two-year partnership will run through the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign, and continue through the 2025-26 season.
As a partner of the FIFA World Cup 2026, this renewed partnership will give the brand continuity in Asia from qualifiers right through to the tournament proper.
The qualification process began on October 12, 2023, and will run through November 18, 2025.
This renewed partnership will see Visa activate around the AFC calendar, including fan engagement activities, as well as traditional sponsorship and branding presence across the competition’s and AFC’s operations.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataVisa first became a partner of the AFC in 2023 in a deal covering the AFC Champions League and that year’s Asian Cup continental competition.
The deal was brokered by Asia Football Group (AFG), the AFC’s exclusive commercial agency for the 2023-28 cycle.
The AFC announced its partnership with AFG in September 2023, days after terminating its contract with Football Marketing Asia (FMA), with AFG taking over the AFC’s commercial and media rights for the remaining years of FMA’s initial eight-year contract.
At the time, the AFC said its partnership with AFG would enable the governing body to “continue its investment into its member associations and regional associations, deliver all its popular competitions, grow its fanbase, and cultivate a flourishing football community across the continent.”
FMA, then known as DDMC Fortis, won the AFC’s commercial and media rights in 2018, beating the governing body’s previous partner Lagardere Sports, as well as sport marketing agencies Infront and IMG in a tender process.
The deal was reportedly worth $4 billion and covered two commercial broadcast rights cycles from 2021 to 2028.
The original deal was then renegotiated in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent global sporting shutdown caused significant issues ahead of the start of the contract.
