FIFA agree multi-million dollar deal with Saudi Arabian Aramco

FIFA and Saudi Arabian state company Aramco are on the verge of agreeing a commercial deal that could be the most lucrative ever signed for Gianni Infantino’s governing body. According to The Times, talks between the two parties “are at an advanced stage” and the company look set to become the main sponsor of the World Cup to be held in the Middle Eastern kingdom in 2034.

The contract could be worth up to $100 million per year for each of the years leading up to the tournament, for which there is still a decade to go. In fact, there will be two other World Cups between now and then: the 2026 edition in Mexico, Canada and the USA as well as the 2030 edition in Spain, Morocco and Portugal.

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Saudi Arabia stands unopposed for 2032 World Cup bid

The choice of Saudi Arabia to host the 2032 World Cup was confirmed by Infantino himself, despite the fact that the process to be selected had only just begun. Amazingly, no other nation bid to host the tournament, meaning that the competition went directly to the Saudis. For fairness, only Oceanic and Asian countries were eligible to submit bids, yet none chose to do so, leaving Saudi Arabia to confirm its candidacy almost as soon as FIFA opened the process.

It is usual practice for FIFA to look for national companies and brands that can invest in the World Cup in the host country of the time. Gazprom, also state-owned, was the official sponsor of the 2018 World Cup in Russia while Qatar Airways and Visit Saudi, both owned by the Qatari country, sponsored the Qatar edition which was held in 2022 and won by Argentina.

Aramco is a regular name at various sporting events around the world, but it had never previously put money into football. Until now, the company has invested in the Cricket World Cup, the Indian cricket league, Formula 1 and women’s golf. The beautiful game is next on the list.