Club World Cup: Betting companies and airlines from the Middle East dominate the main sponsorships of the teams.
The fight for the title of best team in the world is not the only interest of the 32 teams present at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. There is another game being played off the pitch. For a month — slightly less for those eliminated in the first round — the clubs will be able to display their sponsors on their shirts in front of an audience of billions of people. And there are two vectors that move the money in football today: venture capital from betting houses and strategic investments from companies in the Middle Eastern aviation sector.
According to a survey conducted by GLOBO, seven participating clubs have a betting platform as their main sponsor — including the six South American teams and Porto. But the number is even higher when considering any type of partnership with this sector: 17 of the 32 clubs have some kind of link with betting companies, including giants like Inter Milan, which opted to display Qatar Airways on its shirt during the World Cup instead of Betsson, which pays 32 million euros per season.
Fábio Wolff, managing partner of Wolff Sports and sports marketing specialist, defines the sector as "the profile of the current global market." Expansion is limited by legislative prohibitions and even religious issues—some Muslim countries, such as Saudi Arabia, do not allow gambling based on Islamic law.
Quite different from Brazil, where the market exploded after the sector's regulation finally came into effect this year. All the teams in the Brazilian Série A feature some kind of betting logo on their uniforms, with 90% of them having the brand as their main sponsor.
"The betting segment, in many cases, has occupied the space that was previously dominated by financial companies. Today, it is the main force in terms of volume and reach in sports, especially in South America and parts of Europe, where regulation is still under construction or in transition," says Wolff.
Betting as a financial engine of football, however, coexists with another phenomenon: the presence of Middle Eastern airlines as key sponsors of elite clubs. Of the four companies in the sector among the main sponsors, all are from the region: Emirates (Benfica and Real Madrid), Qatar Airways (PSG and Inter Milan), Etihad (Manchester City) and Rhyadh Air (Atlético de Madrid).
The financial weight of airlines is enormous. The sum of the sponsorship values of the six clubs mentioned reaches 273 million euros (R$1,73 billion) — including Qatar Airways' logo on Inter Milan's shirt. That's practically four times more than the seven teams sponsored by betting companies (R$463 million), not counting the Italian team's contract with Betsson.
According to Ivan Martinho, a sports marketing expert and professor at ESPM, the two movements have different but equally powerful logics.
— Betting companies represent high-risk private capital seeking rapid scale. Middle Eastern airlines, on the other hand, operate with a long-term vision and institutional support, often aligned with state policies. They use sport as a tool for soft power, to build brand and global influence — he analyzes.
The global map of World Cup sponsors
The ranking of sponsors by nationality also reinforces this polarization. The United Arab Emirates leads with three brands present in five clubs, followed by the United States (3) and Greece and Sweden (with two, both from the betting sector). Brazil appears only once — with Flabet, which is featured on Flamengo's shirt.
Besides betting and aviation, there's room in the Club World Cup for various sectors: telecommunications (Etisalat, with Al Ahly and Al Ain), industry, automotive and energy (Evonik, Mitsubishi, Jeep, HD, JAC and Ingelec), health (Providence, with Seattle Sounders), beverages (Danone and Michelob Ultra), technology and entertainment (Savvy Games, from Saudi Arabia), tourism (Royal Caribbean, with Inter Miami) and the model of the Red Bull beverage brand (Salzburg), which owns several clubs around the world.
But not all clubs have sponsors prominently displayed: Chelsea plays without a brand on its uniform, as its main sponsor is the result of a temporary agreement, valid only for the English Championship and the Conference League.
According to FIFA regulations, clubs are allowed to display up to two sponsors on their uniforms during the tournament—one on the front and another on one of the sleeves. This restriction applies to all team materials (training gear, tracksuits, and vests worn on the bench). The organization justifies this by citing visual standardization. Wolff considers this decision "assertive."
"Each country has different rules. In Brazil, for example, it's common to see shirts with up to eight brands. In European markets, the limit is two. FIFA needs to balance these differences while ensuring the visibility that sponsors demand," he points out.
Martinho adds:
Global events like the Club World Cup are crucial for brands seeking an international audience. For sponsors like Middle Eastern airlines, it represents exposure aligned with a larger geopolitical strategy. ( O Globo Online )
