Anshuman JoshiThis article contains information regarding the organisations enjoying a strong branding presence across the Germany men’s and/or women’s national football teams’ physical and digital assets as sponsors and partners of the German Football Association.
Name of the football association: German Football Association (German: Deutscher Fußball-Bund; DFB)
Also read: FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Sponsors
Adidas
The German sportswear giant has been the technical partner of the DFB since 1954, when the latter was granted UEFA affiliation. This is one of the longest ongoing partnerships in the game.
Adidas last renewed its deal with the DFB as the official kit supplier for its national teams in September 2018, taking their partnership to 2026.
In March 2024, the DFB made a historic announcement in which it confirmed Adidas’ US rival Nike as the new kit supplier for its national teams. The deal, reportedly worth around €100 million, is set to come into effect in 2027 and run until 2034.
Volkswagen
The Wolfsburg-headquartered automaker replaced Mercedes-Benz on the DFB sponsorship portfolio in July 2017, ending the DFB-Mercedes marriage that had existed since 1974.
Apart from branding rights, the sponsorship sees Volkswagen supply its fleet of cars to the DFB players and staff.
Würth
Known for its construction material and tools, with hardware offerings covering everything from automotives to storage systems, Künzelsau, Germany–based Würth joined the DFB sponsorship portfolio in June 2022.
The partnership entails branding rights for Würth at the international games of the Germany senior men’s, senior women’s, and U21 national football teams.
Bwin
After serving as the main sponsor to 3. Liga, the third tier of German men’s football, in 2017, Austrian online betting company Bwin extended its sponsorship with the DFB to include its national teams, the DFB-Pokal, the final of the DFB-Pokal Frauen (women’s DFB-Pokal), and the Frauen-Bundesliga (women’s Bundesliga) in January 2019.
The deal between the two parties, currently set to run until the end of 2026, grants Bwin even more branding presence across the DFB’s national teams and domestic competitions.
Coca-Cola
The American beverages giant has been an official sponsor of the DFB since 1981.
The deal sees Coca-Cola products made available during all of the DFB’s events as well as its national teams’ international matches.
Commerzbank
The Frankfurt-headquartered German bank has been an official sponsor of the DFB’s national teams since 2008.
Apart from a strong branding presence, the partnership sees Commerzbank support the national teams, the DFB’s coaching initiatives, and also offer several exclusive fan experience opportunities.
Continental
The Hanover-based German tyre manufacturer signed a four-year deal with the DFB to sponsor its senior and U21 national sides in October 2022. The deal officially came into effect on January 1, 2023.
In February 2023, the two parties expanded their partnership also cover the Germany women’s national football team. This deal officially came into effect on February 15, 2023.
The partnership entails branding rights for Continental at all matches of the aforementioned teams.
EA Sports FC
The DFB’s partnership agreement with EA Sports, the sports video games division of Electronic Arts, grants the latter licensing rights for the two German Bundesliga tiers and their teams, which thusly appear in the company’s football simulation video game series, EA Sports FC, in an authentic guise. Licensing for the German Supercup is also part of the agreement, with EA Sports FC also acting as the official title for the Virtual Bundesliga esports competition.
The current agreement between the DFB and EA Sports, announced in January 2024, is set to run until 2027.
Lufthansa
The Cologne-headquartered German airline has been the Official Airline Partner of the DFB since 2005.
Under the terms of the partnership, Lufthansa flies the DFB players and staff to and from their international duties.
The two parties last extended their partnership in November 2022. The current deal is set to run until the end of 2026.
Deutsche Telekom
The Bonn-headquartered German telecom giant has served as a premium partner to the DFB since 2006.
Over the years, the partnership has seen the two parties work extensively on several grassroots projects across Germany.
The two parties extended their partnership in May 2022, with Deutsche Telekom set to continue as a sponsor of the Germany men’s national football team until 2024. The new agreement also dictated that Deutsche Telekom would not only offer exclusive coverage and content from the national team’s training camp, it would also exclusively broadcast the 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024 via its streaming service, MagentaTV.
Engelbert Strauss
The association between Biebergemünd-headquartered German workwear, safety footwear, and personal protective equipment retailer Engelbert Strauss and the DFB goes back to 2010. The two last renewed their partnership in March 2022 in a deal set to run until 2026.
As per the terms of the latest agreement between the two parties, Engelbert Strauss sponsors the DFB’s men’s, women’s, and U21 national teams as well as the DFB-Pokal and the final of the DFB-Pokal Frauen. The renewed partnership also has Engelbert Strauss supporting the DFB-ePokal.
ERGO Group
The Düsseldorf-headquartered group of insurance companies first partnered with the DFB in March 2016 as a sponsor of the DFB-Pokal starting with the 2016/17 season. The two parties later renewed and expanded their partnership in December 2021, with the new agreement having kicked off on January 1, 2022, and set to run until summer 2026.
As per the terms of the latest agreement between the two parties, ERGO sponsors the DFB’s men’s, women’s, and U21 national teams as well as the DFB Academy, while also sponsoring the DFB-Pokal and the final of the DFB-Pokal Frauen along with supporting amateur football across the country. ERGO also serves as the title sponsor to the DFB-ePokal, which is thusly known as “DFB-ePokal powered by ERGO”.
Flyeralarm
The Würzburg, Bavaria-headquartered German printing and marketing services provider has been one of the biggest supporters of women’s football in Germany for quite a while.
A dedicated sponsor of the Germany women’s national football team since 2013, Flyeralarm renewed its partnership with the DFB to also support the women’s national youth football squads—age groups U15 to U20—along with continued support for the senior women’s team in June 2015.
In May 2019, another agreement between the DFB and Flyeralarm was announced, which stated that the latter would serve as the title sponsor to the women’s Bundesliga—thusly called the Flyeralarm Frauen-Bundesliga—in a deal covering seasons 2019/20 to 2022/23.
Google Pixel
Google’s consumer electronics brand Pixel signed a three-year deal with the DFB focused on German women’s football in May 2023.
The deal integrated Google Pixel into the DFB’s “FF27” strategy, which is focused on long-term development of women’s football in the country. Both Google Pixel and the DFB also collaborate over national-level marketing campaigns that feature players from the Germany women’s national football team, of whom as well is Google Pixel a sponsor—earning branding rights at their home games—and produces exclusive interviews and behind-the-scene footage. Google Pixel is also the title sponsor of the Frauen-Bundesliga.
Hörmann
The Steinhagen-based German manufacturer of doors, garages, door frames, and gates has been a DFB partner since 1995. The two parties last renewed their partnership in September 2022 in a deal set to run until summer 2026.
As per the terms of the latest agreement between the two parties, Hörmann not only holds branding rights across DFB assets but also supplies doors and gates for all DFB buildings.
Interwetten
The Gzira, Malta–headquartered sports betting platform was announced the official sports betting platform of the DFB in September 2022.
The three-year deal, having officially come into effect on January 1, 2023, entails advertising rights for Interwetten at the games of the Germany senior men’s and U21 national football teams.
mandana jewellery | Nevermined Diamonds
The German neo-luxury jewellery brand mandana and diamond brand Nevermined were announced as official partners of the Germany women’s national football team in July 2023.
To kick off the partnership, every Germany women’s national football team player on her way to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup was given a bracelet by mandana that was intended “to serve as a lucky charm and also a symbol for shared values: diversity, fairness, sustainability and female empowerment”.
ob
ob, a tampon brand of Johnson & Johnson GmbH, was announced as an official partner of the Germany women’s national football team in June 2023.
The partnership is focused on addressing the stigma associated with menstruation and entails co-branded initiatives like the #LetsTalkPeriods campaign featuring players from the Germany women’s national football team.
Panini Germany
The German division of Modena-based Italian publishing company Panini, which is known for producing football collectibles, has been a long-time associate of the DFB.
RIMOWA
Cologne-based premium luggage company RIMOWA is also a long-time partner of the DFB. The two parties last officially renewed their partnership in March 2023 on a multi-year deal.
The current agreement, covering the Germany senior men’s, senior women’s, and U21 national football teams, entails not only branding rights for RIMOVA but also provision of DFB-branded RIMOWA products to the aforementioned teams’ players.
TCL
Huizhou, Guangdong–based Chinese electronics brand TCL was announced as an official partner of the Germany men’s national football team in September 2023.
The four-year deal sees TCL promote its TV range, sound bars, and air conditioning across DFB assets during events concerning the German men’s national team.
TikTok
The Chinese video-sharing social media platform was announced as the official entertainment partner of the Germany men’s national football team in March 2024, ahead of the home Euros.
The partnership entails bespoke content creation, including behind-the-scenes clips and collaborations with notable creators. TikTok’s branding also features on the training ground of the team as well as during their home games as part of the deal.
Van Laack
The Mönchengladbach-headquartered German fashion house has served as the official fashion partner to the DFB since March 2021.
The deal sees the company provide bespoke formalwear for Germany’s senior men’s and women’s national sides, the U21s, as well as the non-playing staff.
The deal between the two parties is currently set to run until the end of 2024.
Vorwerk
The Wuppertal-based German consumer electronics brand Vorwerk was announced as an official partner of the Germany women’s national football team in February 2023.
As part of the branding rights dictated by the deal, Vorwerk’s logo features on the training wear and pre-game jackets of the Germany women’s national football team. The deal entails advertising rights for not only Vorwerk but also its brands Thermomix (kitchen products) and Kobold (cleaning products).
