SHANGHAI, China — FIFA has officially introduced its first sponsor for the newly revamped Club World Cup, scheduled to take place in the United States next year. This announcement was made on Wednesday and marks a significant milestone for the tournament as it prepares for its upcoming matches.
The electronics giant Hisense, based in China, has secured a sponsorship deal that will see its branding displayed in the video operation room and on pitchside screens. This arrangement comes into play during crucial moments when match officials review key incidents throughout the tournament. The 32-team event will be hosted in 11 American cities, running from June 15 to July 13.
Despite this being the first sponsorship linked to video reviews in a FIFA tournament, Hisense had previously served as the official “VAR Screen Provider” during this year’s European Championship, held in Germany. The Club World Cup, which will feature prominent teams such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich along with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami hosting the opening match, is just under eight months away. However, it still lacks broadcast agreements.
Negotiations for a global streaming contract with Apple+ have reportedly hit a pause, and local sponsors in the U.S. appear to be prioritizing sponsorship opportunities for the men’s 2026 World Cup, a joint venture co-hosted with Canada and Mexico. There are expectations that sponsors from Saudi Arabia will soon come on board to assist FIFA President Gianni Infantino in fulfilling his commitment to provide clubs with a tournament prize pool that could reach hundreds of millions of dollars every four years. FIFA is also anticipated to confirm Saudi Arabia as the host for the 2034 World Cup on December 11.
FIFA stated that this new partnership with Hisense “sets the stage for additional sponsorship agreements” for its flagship club competition that will be disclosed in the coming weeks. However, the governing body did not reveal the financial specifics of the deal that was finalized during a signing event in Shanghai.
In terms of officiating, the video review system, which scrutinizes significant decisions such as goals, penalties, and red cards, can take up to two minutes to complete. This duration exceeds FIFA’s initial objective during trials in 2016, which aimed for reviews to be wrapped up in approximately 10 seconds.
Hisense has been involved with FIFA as a sponsor since the 2018 World Cup and continued its support for the 2022 edition in Qatar. Additionally, the company marked its first sponsorship agreement with UEFA while Infantino was serving as its general secretary before Euro 2016.