The principal commercial deal between English soccer giants Manchester United and US brand Qualcomm Technologies has formally been extended through 2028-29.
This represents a three-year add-on to the existing partnership between Qualcomm and the English Premier League (EPL) side, which was unveiled in August, 2022, and includes primary front-of-shirt sponsorship rights for Qualcomm brand Snapdragon (as of this season).
GlobalData Sport has estimated the value of the original shirt sponsorship deal, which was originally signed to run from 2024-25 through 2026-27, as £176 million ($223.9 million). Snapdragon replaced global tech company TeamViewer, which had been United’s primary shirt sponsor since the start of 2021-22.
As part of the extension, Qualcomm now holds rights (as reported earlier this week) to nominate a logo “to appear on the back of Manchester United shirts” during the upcoming 2024-25 campaign. The logo - displayed for the first time in a regular season game last weekend, during the FA Community Shield - is placed beneath the squad number on each match day shirt.
While not stretching to EPL games, the back-of-shirt logo rights extend across Women’s Super League fixtures (United’s women’s team finished fifth in that 12-team competition last season), as well as to “certain other men’s, women’s, and academy fixtures” this campaign.
A statement has said the addition of back-of-shirt branding “demonstrates the ground-breaking approach to this collaboration and the power of integrated marketing solutions within technology and sports.”
Omar Berrada, the new chief executive at Manchester United (formally appointed last month) has now said: “We have ambitious plans for this club to continue to grow and win on and off the pitch. Qualcomm's commitment to join us on this journey shows the strength and depth of the bond between us, which we know will only be enhanced the more we work together.”
Aside from Qualcomm, other major Manchester United commercial partners include adidas, Tezos, and DXC Technology.
Don McGuire, Qualcomm Incorporated’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer, added: “Throughout our partnership, we look forward to helping the club achieve its goals on the pitch and off the pitch as the club reimagines Old Trafford and Carrington [United’s training center]. We’re excited to bring our technology partners onto the back of the shirt and into the club community in unprecedented ways and enable new experiences for the 1.1 billion Manchester United fans around the world.”
Aside from the shirt sponsorship element to the partnership, earlier this month it was reported that Qualcomm and Snapdragon would be interested in acquiring naming rights to Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium.
Qualcomm is keen to have one of its brands as naming rights partner - either of the existing venue or of a new stadium if one is constructed to replace the club’s iconic home.
United, whose Premier League season begins today, are considering whether to build a new home or revamp Old Trafford, with a joint task force put in place in March to explore options for building a new stadium.
A new venue is favored by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the minority owner driving the project, and he wants the club to decide by December.
In recent years, Qualcomm has been working with the club to improve technology and mobile connectivity levels at Old Trafford.
Snapdragon already holds the naming rights to the stadium in San Diego, US, where United played Real Betis in a pre-season friendly this month and Wrexham last year.
If the Manchester club decides to bring a naming rights partner on board, it would join Premier League rivals such as Manchester City (Etihad Stadium) and Arsenal (Emirates Stadium) in doing so.
United play Fulham in their first Premier League game today, having finished a disappointing eighth last season.
