Under the new model, which comes into effect in 2023, soccer’s global governing body has unbundled the sponsorship rights for its women’s and esports properties from its men’s competitions, allowing brands to become Fifa partners specifically within those three verticals.
Visa’s deal sees it become the first official partner of the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where the company will serve as the exclusive payment service of the national team tournament.
As part of the arrangement, Visa will implement its payment technology throughout tournament venues, while it will also deliver exclusive experiences at the event for fans and clients, as well as activate the player of the match award.
Up until now, sponsorship rights to Fifa’s women’s soccer properties have been sold together with the men’s. Visa has taken up the top partnership tier within the governing body’s new women’s soccer vertical, giving it extensive commercial rights across all women’s national team tournaments.
Andrea Fairchild, senior vice president of global sponsorship strategy at Visa, said: “Our commitment to women’s football is not short term – we see these women as game changers in the biggest sense of the word and love to see the new heights women’s football continues to reach. We are thrilled to continue this trajectory as we look toward Australia and New Zealand in 2023.”
The deal builds on Fifa’s longstanding relationship with Visa, which has been a worldwide partner of the governing body since 2007.
Visa also became the first-ever sponsor of Uefa women’s soccer in 2018 when the European soccer body similarly decided to unbundle the inventory from the men’s game.
“As a longstanding Fifa partner and a proud supporter of women’s football, it was a natural choice for Visa to become the first-ever women’s football partner at Fifa,” added Sarai Bareman, Fifa’s chief women’s football officer.
Elsewhere in women’s soccer, Serie A TIMvision is set for greater exposure through a new two-year deal with ata football.
The dedicated women’s soccer company will air Italy’s top flight on its atafootball.com digital platform, with more than 100 live matches to be made available to fans in the US, Germany and Canada.
The partnership, which also includes a weekly highlights programme and clips, will mark the first time that Serie A TIMvision will be available via a streaming service in the three markets included in the deal.
