Brazilian soccer giants São Paulo have announced a record deal with US multinational food conglomerate Mondelez for the naming rights to the club’s Estadio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo stadium.
The stadium, commonly known as Morumbi, will now be known as MorumBis for the next three years, with the name a portmanteau of Morumbi and Mondelez’s chocolate-covered wafer brand, Bis.
Mondelez is reportedly paying as much as R$25 million ($5 million) per year for the naming rights to the stadium, a record fee for a Brazilian arena’s naming right. The Estadio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo has never had a naming rights sponsor before, having opened in 1960.
The rights’ record value has been propelled not just by the rabid fanbase of São Paulo, but also by the fact that the venue plays host to several other types of events, notably major music concerts.
The announcement comes alongside the reveal that the naming rights to fellow Brazilian soccer club EC Bahia’s Arena Fonte Nova home have also been sold.
The stadium, owned by the state government of Bahia, had previously been sponsored by beer brand Itaipava but will now instead be covered by gambling firm Casa de Apostas for all soccer matches and music concerts held at the venue.
The brand is paying a reported R$13 million per year until the end of 2027 for the naming rights to the stadium, far below that Sao Paulo commanded but more impressive considering Bahia’s lower standing in the Brazilian game. In 2023, the club was taken over by soccer investment fund City Football Group, a move that likely increased its bargaining power on the naming rights matter.
Bahia and São Paulo are part of a wider trend of Brazilian clubs pursuing stadium naming rights deals to grow commercially.
In 2020, São Paulo’s cross-city rivals Corinthians agreed a long-term naming rights deal with pharmaceutical giant Hypera Pharma, reportedly worth as much as R$17 million per year over its 20-year length.
Other Brazilian soccer clubs to have undertaken such partnerships include current Brazilian Serie A champions Palmeiras, 2021 winners Clube Atlético Mineiro, and 2019 Copa do Brasil winners Athletico Paranaense.
