Less than a year after ending its league-wide partnership, payments giant Visa has reaffirmed its commitment to the NFL, renewing four commercial partnerships with current franchises and adding seven new deals, bringing its portfolio of sponsored teams to 13.
Alongside two existing agreements, with the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens, respectively, Visa has renewed existing deals with the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, and San Francisco 49ers, each of which it terms a “long-term renewal”.
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Additionally, Visa has also added new partnerships with the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Commanders.
Speaking on the swathe of new agreements, Visa chief marketing officer Frank Cooper III said: “Our focus is on creating meaningful participation, not just visibility. These team relationships give us new ways to connect with fans through experiences, commerce, community, and the moments that make football one of the most influential cultural forces in America.”
Over the coming three years, Visa is set to sponsor the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the LA28 games, having this year already sponsored the 2026 FIFA World Cup, meaning it will have covered three of the world’s biggest tentpole sporting events – coverage that will come at a high financial cost, but also with significant visibility.
Cooper continued: “We are building partnerships that help Visa bring fans closer to the people and communities driving culture across music, gaming, entertainment, and, of course, sports. From pro football to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, to the FIFA World Cup to Red Bull Racing, these partnerships give us opportunities to engage with fans around the moments and experiences they care about most.”
Visa was one of the NFL’s longest-serving partners, having sponsored the league since 1995.
In 2025, however, the brand confirmed it would be ending its league-wide partnership, with a change in strategy that has since seen it focus on team-specific sponsorships.
At the time, Cooper said: “We intend to continue to invest in the NFL significantly, probably more than we did before, but it will look different.
“We love the NFL… but we decided there was a better way for Visa beyond acquiring the NFL league rights,” he continued, referencing the high cost of league-wide sponsorship.
He also pointed to the renewal of the partnership with the 49ers, at that point one of eight partnered teams, as illustrative of where Visa’s strategy was heading.
