More than 100 professional women's soccer players have signed an open letter urging world governing body FIFA to drop its sponsorship deal with Saudi oil giant Aramco.
The players, drawn from 24 countries, have called on the organization to reconsider the deal on humanitarian and environmental grounds.
FIFA unveiled Aramco as a global partner in April under a four-year agreement.
Through the deal, the major oil company becomes FIFA’s worldwide partner exclusively in the energy category, with sponsorship rights for multiple events including the 2026 men’s World Cup and 2027 Women’s World Cup.
The agreement is understood to be worth $100 million annually, making Aramco FIFA’s most lucrative commercial partner.
The female players uniting against the sponsorship include England defender Niamh Charles, Netherlands star Vivianne Miedema, Denmark’s Sofie Junge Pedersen, and Canada captain Jessie Fleming.
In the letter, the players described the deal as an insult to women’s soccer.
They stated: “For most of our time as professional players, it has felt like things are improving for women in football. For many, our experience now is unrecognizable from that of the women who came before us.
“But FIFA’s announcement of Saudi Aramco as its ‘major’ partner has set us so far back that it’s hard to fully take in.
“Saudi Aramco is the main money-pump for Saudi Arabia, and is 98.5 % state-owned. Saudi authorities have been spending billions in sports sponsorship to try to distract from the regime’s brutal human rights reputation, but its treatment of women speaks for itself.”
The deal with FIFA represents Aramco’s first major deal in soccer but the company has secured several sports sponsorships in recent years, including with motor racing’s iconic Formula 1, the International Cricket Council, Indian Premier League domestic cricket competition, and golf's Ladies European Tour.
In response to the letter, FIFA said in a statement: “FIFA values its partnership with Aramco and its many other commercial and rights partners.”
Before the 2023 Women's World Cup, FIFA was forced to drop plans for a sponsorship agreement with Saudi Arabia’s tourism board Visit Saudi for the tournament amid a fierce backlash from host nations Australia and New Zealand, as well as high-profile players.
The deal proved controversial due to the kingdom’s poor record when it comes to women’s rights, as well as alleged human rights abuses and what critics have described as 'sportswashing.'
While the Kingdom has made several legal changes, including ending a ban on women driving and allowing women to apply for official documents and travel abroad independently, consensual same-sex conduct is strictly prohibited, punishable by death or flogging. Women’s rights campaigners have also been imprisoned.
Saudi Arabia has succeded in making its mark in the sports market by hosting several events in recent years across soccer, boxing, tennis, motorsports, and snooker.
The Middle Eastern country is set to enhance its relationship with FIFA as it is in line to host the 2034 men’s World Cup.
Saudi became the sole bidder for the tournament last October when Australia withdrew from the bidding process just before a FIFA deadline (only submissions from Asian and Oceanic countries were eligible because of FIFA’s rotation method for selecting hosts).
