Concacaf, the governing body for soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean, has launched a request for proposals (RFP) process to market its official match ball, equipment, and sports apparel rights.

The RFP is for a commercial term running through 2030 with the process to conclude by the end of this year.

The process is being managed by the organization’s commercial department, led by chief commercial officer Heidi Pellerano. Interested parties should contact Pellerano at commercial@concacaf.org.

Companies have until tomorrow (November 9) to express initial interest, after which further details on the timetable of the process will be provided.

US sportswear giant NIKE has held exclusive rights in the official match ball, equipment, and apparel category since 2009.

But Concacaf has decided to go to market now with several new competitions launching next year, and a significant period for soccer in the region ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup - which will be co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico.

The new Concacaf Champions Cup club competition will begin in 2024, as well as an inaugural women’s Gold Cup for the top women’s national teams in the region.

The Concacaf competitions included in the RFP also include the men’s Gold Cup, Nations League Finals, and Concacaf U20 Championships.

Philippe Moggio, Concacaf general secretary, said: “This is a very exciting moment in the development of Concacaf with a compelling new club competition which will deliver big Liga MX [Mexico] vs MLS [US] rivalries on the horizon, a new elite women’s national team tournament including some of the world’s best teams and players, and the opportunity to be a key part of our Gold Cups and Nations League Finals, which are already hugely popular across our region and beyond.

“The brand visibility potential for our partners and sponsors is tremendous with interest in our tournaments, and in the sport more widely, growing apace in the region. Concacaf and our tournaments are ideally placed to take advantage of that heading towards 2026 and beyond.”

Meanwhile, Concacaf has announced the final of the inaugural women’s Gold Cup will be held at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.

The venue is home to the San Diego Wave FC of the women's NWSL competition and recently hosted the 2023 Gold Cup semi-final between the men's national teams of the United States and Panama.

The W Gold Cup will be played between February 17 and March 10 and will include eight Concacaf countries and four guests from South America’s Conmebol.

Conmebol teams from South America have been invited as part of a strategic collaboration agreement between both confederations.

Thus far, the US, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Paraguay have qualified for the group stage, while El Salvador have qualified for the preliminary phase.