The Argentine Football Association (AFA) and Wanda Sports Group, the sports arm of Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda, have reached an exclusive cooperation agreement in China,
The deal makes Wanda the commercial agent of the Argentinian national soccer teams until 2024.
The partnership follows the original deal made in 2022 centered around the World Cup in Qatar, where Wanda Sports was the exclusive partner of the Argentine national team in China.
As part of the original deal, Wanda helped seven companies, including Wanda Investment Group, Yili Group, GAC Mitsubishi, Lingxi Entertainment, Panpan Food, Cotti Coffee, and Wanjiale to become regional sponsors of the Argentine national team.
Claudio Tapia, president of AFA , said: "This new alliance with the leading commercial group in the Chinese market such as Wanda consolidates the leadership of our Institution in a market as important and strategic as China, where we have a huge audience, and many companies that support our projects. This step will undoubtedly give a new leap in quality in AFA's global expansion."
Hu Chenggen, general director of the International Department of Wanda Sports Group, added: "After the successful cooperation in 2022, Wanda Sports is honored to renew its strategic cooperation with the AFA and continue to be the exclusive partner of the Argentine national team in the Chinese market.
“Wanda Sports will make every effort to find Chinese sponsors who combine the unique brand value and outstanding strength of the Argentine national team with rich resources of domestic customers, and provide Chinese sponsors with the best marketing services."
The renewal follows news that Argentina’s men’s team are set to play exhibition games against Nigeria and Ivory Coast in China next month (March).
Earlier this week the AFA entered into a sponsorship deal with FeedConstruct, a sports data provider.
Through the tie-up, FeedConstruct became a regional sponsor of the AFA and its respective national teams in Europe.
In late October, the AFA entered into an e-commerce partnership with Fanatics, the US-based online sportswear and equipment retailer.
The AFA's first commercial deal in Europe, meanwhile, also came in late October, through a tie-up with online gaming software provider Smartsoft.
Wanda owns international sports marketing agency Infront and is the exclusive business partner across China for multiple sporting governing bodies, across the worlds of soccer, basketball, badminton, and athletics, among others.
