Visa, the credit card giant and long-standing partner of soccer’s FIFA governing body, has been announced as the global sponsor for the inaugural women’s Champions Cup, the club competition being held as a four-team tournament this week.
The last-minute agreement will see Visa present the player of the match awards at the four matches – two semi-finals, a third-place playoff, and the final – all set to take place between January 28 and February 1 in London, UK.
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The brand will also present the player of the tournament award, which will be handed to the player who delivered the best performance during the competition.
Andrea Fairchild, senior vice-president of global sponsorship strategy at Visa, said: “Visa is proud to expand our long‑standing partnership with FIFA by supporting the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.
““This new tournament reflects the incredible momentum in women’s football and the power it has to inspire growth on and off the pitch – we’re excited to connect even more people to the future of the game.”
The semi-finals will be staged at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium, while Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium will host the third-place play-off and the final.
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By GlobalDataThe teams involved are Arsenal (England), winners of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, ASFAR (Morocco), winners of the CAF Champions League, Concacaf champions Gotham FC (US), and Conmebol champions SC Corinthians (Brazil).
Last May, the brand was named the official payment technology partner of the men’s equivalent, the Club World Cup, which featured 32 clubs playing in the US.
Visa has a long-standing global partnership with FIFA, spanning both the men’s and women’s World Cups, as well as the youth, futsal, beach soccer, and esports competitions organized by the governing body.
The new deal comes shortly after Kynisca, the women’s soccer-dedicated research body owned by sports team owner Michele Kang, was announced as the presenting partner for the mini tournament, gaining visibility throughout the tournament.
Last week, FIFA confirmed most of its broadcast partners for the tournament, with close affiliate DAZN, the sports streaming service, to provide free-to-air (FTA) coverage of the games in most territories, excluding the home markets of the four teams involved – the UK, Morocco, the US, and Brazil – as well as China.
DAZN will also show the two semi-finals FTA in the US, but not the third-placed match or the final.
Coverage in the UK and Ireland will be provided by pay-TV giant Sky Sports, while CazeTV, the sports streaming channel run by YouTuber Casemiro Miguel, has picked up rights in Brazil.
FIFA said the domestic broadcasters that will provide coverage in Morocco and the US will be announced “soon”.
The governing body announced a prize pot of $6 million, with the winners of the tournament earning $2.3 million – the “highest single payout ever awarded in women’s football,” according to FIFA.
The second-placed team will take home $1 million, while the third and fourth-placed teams will earn $200,000 each for participating.
