Following are the companies and organisations that serve as sponsors and brand partners to LaLiga club FC Barcelona (men’s team) and enjoy a strong branding presence across their physical and digital assets.
The Barça-Nike synergy goes all the way back to 1998, when the American sportswear giant replaced rival Italian brand Kappa as Barcelona’s Official Technical Partner. Since then, the two have reached new heights both on and off the pitch and have given us some memorable jerseys.
In May 2016, Barça’s then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu announced an extension to Nike’s deal with the club, which would see the Oregon-based company continue to serve the club as their Official Technical Partner until 2028. This deal, though, was not meant to be signed until July 2018, when Nike’s then-existing deal expired.
However, when the time came to officially sign this deal, complications arose between the two parties regarding how the profits would be distributed, meaning the contract was never officially signed, and to this day, Nike does not have an official deal in place with Barça.
Nike came close to signing a contract with the club in early 2020, only for COVID to further derail the talks. In September 2021, reports emerged from Spain claiming Nike to be in constant talks with the club’s current president, Joan Laporta, over an official deal.
Currently, Nike reportedly pays Barça €105m every season, with potential addons taking the amount to €155m. The company, however, remains concerned regarding its current relationship status with the club, and rival brand Puma is reportedly interested in swooping in should negotiations between Nike and Barça collapse completely.
Tokyo-based Japanese electronic commerce and online retailing company Rakuten was roped in as Barça’s principal sponsor and Official Innovation & Entertainment Partner in November 2016.
Having kicked off in 2017, the deal sees Rakuten’s logo emblazoned across the front of the club’s matchday kits, having replaced that of Qatar Airways.
The deal, reportedly worth €55m per season, was extended by Barça in November 2020 to also cover the 2021-22 season, although with a reduced fee of €30m due to the COVID pandemic.
However, in September 2021, reports emerged from Spain claiming Rakuten to be ready to end its association with Barça after the ongoing season. The Japanese company is reportedly unhappy with the club’s management and isn’t willing to go back to the pre-pandemic figures demanded by the club.
Turkish electronics giant Beko became the official sleeve sponsor of Barcelona in 2014 in a deal that saw its logo placed on the left sleeve of the club’s matchday shirts.
Four years later, in January 2018, Barça expanded their partnership with Beko in a three-year extension worth €57m that saw the Istanbul-based company become the club’s Official Training and Home Appliances Partner. Apart from retaining its place on the left sleeve of Barça’s matchday shirts, Beko also became the front-of-shirt sponsor of the club’s training wear.
In February 2021, Beko agreed to a one-year extension of its partnership with Barça at a reduced fee of €10m to cover the 2021-22 season, in which it retained the front-of-training-shirt sponsorship rights but dropped the sleeve sponsorship rights for Barça’s matchday shirts.
Barça signed online betting company 1XBET as a global partner in July 2019. Apart from branding rights, the five-year deal sees 1XBET also hold image rights for Barça’s players to feature in its promotional adverts.
Locally brewed lager beer Estrella Damm has been the Official Beer of FC Barcelona for over 25 years. It has been serving as a Global Partner to the club since May 2018.
In June 2019, Japanese video game company Konami renewed its deal as the official videogame partner of FC Barcelona via its football simulation game series, Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), for another four years. The deal saw Konami hold rights to feature Barça’s licensing, that included real-life likeness of players, kits and stadium, in its annual PES release.
While PES’ main rival, EA Sports’ FIFA, held rights to feature Barça’s crest, kits, and players via its circumventing licensing deal with LaLiga Santander, Konami held exclusive rights to Barça’s home ground, Camp Nou.
The summer of 2021 found Konami’s deal with the club mired in controversy when a video emerged of two Barça players — Antoine Griezmann (now on loan at Atlético Madrid) and Ousmane Dembélé — mocking two Japanese technicians who were fixing the television in the players’ room while the team were on a pre-season tour in Japan in 2019. The two could be heard making pejorative comments about the technicians’ appearance and the manner in which they spoke.
Konami put out a statement in July 2021 in which it stated that Griezmann, who the company announced as a Yu-Gi-Oh! contents ambassador only a month before, had his ambassadorship terminated with immediate effect. The company also requested Barça to provide an explanation on the matter and discuss further course of action. While more details are yet to surface, Konami remains listed as Barça’s official videogame partner on the club’s website.
In July 2021, Konami announced a complete overhaul of their flagship football simulation offering PES, which is now a cross-platform, free-to-play game called eFootball. Barça’s deal with Konami sees the club and their assets licensed in the game.
SEAT’s sports car brand Cupra replaced Audi as the club’s new official automotive and mobility partner in August 2019.
Apart from branding rights, the five-year deal sees the two parties collaborate over projects aimed at development of urban mobility technology, with the Barça players also supplied with Cupra’s latest range of vehicles.
Chinese consumer electronics brand Oppo renewed its deal with Barça as their official mobile device partner in a three-year agreement in July 2019, having signed the original deal in 2015.
Apart from branding rights, the deal sees the two parties collaborate to host workshops and other fan engagement activities.
American tools and security brand Stanley Black & Decker became a sponsor of FC Barcelona in 2014, before expanding its association with the Catalan club to a global partnership in July 2018.
Apart from getting added exposure across the club’s channels, Stanley also became the principal sponsor of Barça’s women’s team, thus acquiring front-of-shirt branding rights across Barça Women’s matchday kits.
American energy drink brand Gatorade has been the official sports nutrition partner of FC Barcelona since October 2013.
As per the agreement, Gatorade supplies its products — Prime, Perform and Recover — to the club for matchdays and press conferences. Gatorade Sports Science Institute’s lab and testing facilities also provide the Barça players with nutritional support.
German financial services company Allianz is a long-time global partner of FC Barcelona. The company works with the Barça Innovation Hub to conduct experiments and studies regarding player welfare along with other community initiatives.
In July 2021, Barça extended and expanded their decade-long partnership with Allianz in a three-year agreement. Having previously served as the club’s official insurance partner in Spain, Allianz now serves as a Global Partner to the club, excluding China.
Barça signed a multi-year deal with cryptocurrency-based fan engagement platform Socios.com, which is powered by Gzira, Malta-based blockchain fintech provider Chiliz, in February 2020 to launch their own Fan Token ($BAR). The deal also made Chiliz the Official Fan Token Partner of FC Barcelona.
Via Socios.com, Barça offer their fans a chance to obtain Fan Tokens that allow them to participate in several club-oriented activities. These Fan Tokens are limited in number and can be bought, sold or won in an augmented reality in-game.
Foreign exchange broker FBS was announced as the club’s Official Trading Partner in January 2020 in a four-and-a-half-year global partnership deal set to run until June 2024.
Apart from branding rights, the deal entails production of co-branded content, with unique offline and online experiences offered to both FBS’s customers and Barça’s fans around the world.
Valencia-headquartered Spanish financial institution CaixaBank last renewed its deal as the premium banking partner of Barcelona in a four-year agreement in January 2017. Apart from branding rights, the deal sees CaixaBank offer its customers unique hospitality experiences during Barça’s home matches.
Medical insurance company Assistència Sanitària is the club’s official medical partner since 2005. In July 2019, the two parties extended their partnership in a deal that runs until June 2024, also making Assistència Sanitària a main partner of the club.
Apart from enjoying a brand presence across the club’s channels, Assistència Sanitària provides medical insurance to the club. Barça also has access to the company’s medical centres for potential medical examinations.
The Japanese cosmetics brand was announced as the club’s Official men’s skincare and makeup partner in February 2021. Covering the regions of Japan, China, Italy and Spain, the deal is currently set to run until December 2022 and also makes Sergi Roberto, one of Barça Men’s first-team captains, an ambassador of Shiseido Men.
Apart from branding rights, the deal entails production on co-branded content primarily focused on the lifestyles of the first-team players of Barça’s men’s football team.
South Korean oil company SK Lubricants signed a regional sponsorship deal with Barça in August 2018, making it the club’s official motor oil partner. The three-year regional deal covers South Korea, China, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Canadian financial services company Scotiabank became the club’s official regional partner in Latin America and the Caribbean in December 2016. This was the first deal completed from the club’s then-newly opened New York office.
As per the agreement, the two parties work together to sponsor youth soccer programmes in the aforementioned regions and conduct soccer festivals for the local teams.
In February 2020, Barça signed a three-and-a-half-year regional deal with Chinese insurance company, Taiping Life Insurance, to make it their official insurance partner in Greater China.
The deal grants Taiping Life Insurance virtual LED branding rights during the broadcast of Barça’s matches in China. The two parties also collaborate on unique offline and online fan engagement campaigns.
American soft drinks company Coca-Cola serves as the Soft Drinks Partner to FC Barcelona.
National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah (RAKBANK) is the official bank of FC Barcelona in the United Arab Emirates since July 2018. As per the deal, RAKBANK provides its customers Barça-themed payment cards along with exclusive fan experience opportunities.
In October 2019, Korean industrial battery manufacturer Sebang was announced as the club’s official car battery partner in a regional deal that covered South Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia, and focused on Sebang’s main product, ‘Rocket’.
The sponsorship deal grants Sebang branding rights across the club’s digital and physical assets, including virtual LED minutes, merchandising and hospitality rights, as well as image rights to club’s players to use in promotional adverts.
Malaysian universal bank Maybank is the official bank of FC Barcelona in Malaysia and Singapore since October 2017. As per the deal, Maybank provides its customers Barça-themed payment cards, as well as exclusive fan experience opportunities.
Saigon–Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SHB) is the official bank of FC Barcelona in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia since March 2016. As per the deal, SHB provides its customers Barça-themed payment cards, as well as exclusive fan experience opportunities.
In December 2019, major Brazilian retail bank Banco BMG was announced as the official bank of FC Barcelona in the Americas. Apart from branding rights, the three-year deal sees the bank offer its customers exclusive club-themed fan experience opportunities.
Procter & Gamble’s anti-dandruff shampoo brand Head & Shoulders is Barça’s official shampoo in China since September 2017, with the two parties having originally partnered up in 2013 to cover the Asia Pacific region.
Apart from branding rights, the deal entails the two parties working together to offer Barça’s fans in the region unique club-themed experiences.
In November 2021, Barça announced an extension of their partnership with Head & Shoulders in a deal set to run until June 30, 2022, that also made Head & Shoulders the Official Shampoo of FC Barcelona in Indonesia.
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