December 18 – Qatar’s national airline has signed a six-year partnership with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) that begins in January with the start of the Asian Cup that Qatar in hosting and kicks off 12 January.
Signed with the Qatar Airways Group, the deal runs until 2029 and will include Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, Women’s Asian Cup 2026, U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024, AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2024, 2026 and 2028, as well as all AFC youth national team competitions .
The sponsorship, for which no value was given, also includes all matches of the AFC Champions League 2023/24 Knockout Stage and the AFC’s three new club competitions starting in the 2024/25 season onwards: the AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Women’s Champions League and the AFC Champions League 2.
AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John said: “It is with great enthusiasm we welcome Qatar Airways on board as the AFC’s newest partner. This collaboration again underlines the ever-growing appeal of the AFC’s world-class competitions…
“With Qatar Airways, we look forward to expanding our global footprint. This partnership not only connects fans across borders but also enhances the accessibility of our sports events on a truly international scale with seamless and convenient travel experiences.”
As well as promotional space across all AFC assets and platforms, Qatar Airways will work with the AFC to market travel packages to global football fans – flights, accommodation and match tickets/hospitality.
This will start with packages for the Asian Cup Qatar 2023. The ambition for the partnership is “to transform the fan experience at Asian football competitions in the coming years”.
A sponsor of Qatar’s home-hosted 2022 World Cup, the airline has recently renewed its global sponsorship with FIFA through to 2030. The airline is also a sponsor of Concacaf’s national team competitions.
In the European club market the airline became main sponsor of Paris St Germain in 2022 in a reported $70 million a year deal, but did not renew is sleeve sponsorship with Bayern Munich in June following a backlash from fans protesting the country’s record on human rights. Bayern had been earning $20 million per season on that deal since 2018.
With the AFC deal the airline is taking advantage of the increased international interest in the AFC’s competitions and has secured a key sponsorship locally with the Asian Cup in 2027 being hosted in Saudi Arabia, effectively closing out any opportunities for a Saudi airline sponsorship.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer said: “Qatar Airways is excited to welcome the AFC to our robust sports sponsorship portfolio. This is a monumental occasion which marks our shared commitment to connecting people across borders and promoting competitive sportsmanship…”We will work together with the AFC to help create thrilling moments of football excellence in the upcoming years.”
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