The International Cricket Council (ICC) has today (August 23) unveiled a global tie-up with Mastercard, the international credit card giant.
Mastercard is now a worldwide sponsor of this year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which will be held in India between October 5 and November 19.
The brand has said its cardholders will be able to secure a number of benefits through this association, including an exclusive 24-hour pre-sale window to buy match tickets, and the subsequent opportunity to meet cricket legends and “experience unique access” on match days.
In addition, there will be a range of offers available to Mastercard cardholders around official ICC tournament merchandise at the 10-team tournament.
Geoff Allardice, chief executive at the ICC, has said: “We are delighted to announce Mastercard as a global partner for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the pinnacle event of the one-day game. Mastercard brings its rich experience of sports partnerships to the table, and the ICC is looking forward to collaborating with a renowned global brand to bring many benefits to cricket lovers around the world.”
Mastercard is no stranger to commercial partnerships around top-tier cricket in India, having been a main sponsor of the Board of Control for Cricket in India across the 2022-23 season.
The credit card giant also has deals in place with properties such as European soccer’s UEFA Champions League and with US golf’s PGA Tour.
The ICC, meanwhile, has a commercial portfolio containing six global partners and eight official partners.
All 14 of these brands will have a presence in India across the World Cup - for which the official match schedule is still under final review, with only six weeks to go until the intended start of the prestigious tournament.
In early July, the ICC extended its exclusive licensing and merchandising partnership with FanCode Shop (FCS), the Indian sports streaming platform’s merchandise arm, through the World Cup.
FCS will curate official fan merchandise and accessories at the tournament in India. The brand has been the official ICC merchandise partner in the country since 2022.
