FIFA’s controversial Club World Cup has gotten a boost thanks to the Chinese TV and electronics brand Hisense, which has signed up as the event’s first major sponsor.
The announcement comes less than eight months before the revamped tournament, which has been expanded to include 32 clubs from around the world, kicks off for the first time in the U.S. next summer.
The new tournament has been heavily criticised, with player unions and representatives of domestic leagues taking issue with the heavier schedule it imposes on the world’s top footballers, and has also been blighted by a lack of major sponsors or broadcast agreements.
But FIFA insisted that the deal with Hisense, which has been sponsoring FIFA events since 2017, is the first of several announcements that will be made in the coming weeks.
“We are delighted to welcome Hisense, a global market-leading brand, as an official partner of the Fifa Club World Cup 2025,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said. “Hisense’s commitment to innovation and technology aligns with our vision for this tournament, which will bring together the 32 best teams from around the world for an unforgettable celebration of our game that will revolutionise club football.”
“This partnership will offer fans unique ways to engage with the tournament, both on and off the pitch, while laying a technological and innovation-led foundation for the Fifa Club World Cup to flourish,” he added.
Hisense, which is known for its high-end TVs and projectors as well as kitchen appliances, announced its sponsorship of the event in Shanghai this week.
Hisense Chairman Jia Shaoqian said at the special event that the organisation is proud to be an “official partner of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025”, adding that it will be a “collision of first-class excellence”.
“This perfectly aligns with Hisense’s pursuit of the champion spirit and our latest corporate goal to build a world-class enterprise and brand,” the chairman added.
Hisense has a long history of involvement with FIFA, having been a key sponsor of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It has also been a sponsor of the last three UEFA European Championships, and was most recently named as the Official VAR Screen Provider at Euro 2024, with it’s displays being used to rerun key moments at the side of the pitch.
The FIFA Club World Cup is a revamped tournament that’s set to be played every four years. It was first announced in December 2023, and it immediately attracted criticism from some of Europe’s top leagues.
The main complaint is that it adds yet more matches to an already heavily congested football calendar, which includes domestic league and cup games, UEFA tournaments and international fixtures. With the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship both taking place every four years, the world’s top players have traditionally always had every other summer off to recuperate, but the FIFA Club World Cup, which includes a group stage and a knockout stage, means they’ll only get one summer off every four years.
Despite the opposition, 12 of Europe’s top clubs have agreed to participate in the tournament, including Champions League winners Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea, plus Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Juventus.
In addition to the heavier schedule, the tournament had also been bashed for failing to secure a single sponsor or broadcast deal, prior to this week’s announcement.
