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Sport
Selling out a World Cup
How the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 commercial programme sold every package across three tiers, helping deliver USD 1.8bn in marketing rights over the 2019–22 cycle.
Client
FIFA
Sector
Sport
Services
Sponsorship sales, packaging and pricing, activation planning
Delivered
Three-tier sponsor programme, new categories, regional packages
The outcome
100%
of packages sold
Every package sold in all three tiers, with the final regional deals signed before kick-off.
32
partners and sponsors
FIFA filled a full roster across three tiers in a pandemic market.
5
regions with own packages
Regional Supporter packages let single-market brands buy in at a price that suited them.
The Challenge
Qatar 2022 was the first World Cup in the Middle East and the first played in November and December. Sales also ran through a pandemic that froze marketing budgets around the world. The starting point wasn’t strong either. In 2017 the trade press described Qatar Airways’ deal as rescuing FIFA’s “ailing” sponsorship programme. FIFA needed a full roster across three tiers, without discounting the rights that pay for football worldwide.
WHY IT MATTERS: INDUSTRY DATA
2
bn
Marketing rights
USD, 2019–22 cycle
32
Partners and sponsors
Across three tiers
100
%
Packages sold
In every tier
What we did
1
Opened the regional tier
Regional Supporter packages in five regions, from Europe to South America, let brands that cared about one market buy in at a price that made sense for them.
2
Created new categories
Categories that had never been sold in football, including crypto trading, edtech and blockchain, brought new money in without cutting into existing partners’ exclusivity.
3
Sold the activation, not the logo
Every package came with a clear plan for digital, the FIFA Fan Festival and hospitality, so partners could see what they would do with the rights before they signed.
What happened next
FIFA’s revenue for 2019–22 reached USD 7.57bn, 18% up on the previous cycle and more than USD 1bn above budget. The last regional packages were signed in the weeks before kick-off. For 2023–26, FIFA has raised its forecast to USD 13bn, with new partners including Aramco and Lenovo.
