English soccer giants Manchester United have expanded their existing deal with Snapdragon, the subsidiary of US technology firm Qualcomm.
As part of Qualcomm’s sponsorship of the club, it has now been given permission to promote brands that Snapdragon powers or works with, in this case placing the branding of Microsoft CoPilot+ PCs on the back of United’s jerseys at Wembley during their 6-7 penalty loss to Manchester City. However, Snapdragon can also rotate through different brands in future seasons.
This makes it the first-ever brand placement on the back of United’s shirts. The logo will also be present in Women's Super League matches, academy games, as well as in United’s games in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
The branding does not, however, make Microsoft a United partner.
The Athletic has reported that this latest expansion will bring the overall value of Snapdragon’s investment in United to $375m over a five-year period.
Qualcomm has had a commercial relationship in place with the club since August 2022, with a 2023 tie-up expanding this into a front-of-shirt sponsorship from the 2024-25 season for three years, valued at $75 million per campaign. A two-year extension on top of that is likely, it has been reported.
The original deal between United and Qualcomm was also used to promote Snapdragon.
It also entails Qualcomm advising United on planned improvements to mobile connectivity levels at the club’s Old Trafford Stadium.