The Argentine Football Association (AFA) governing body has continued its commercial partner push by adding digital asset platform Nexo as a new regional sponsor ahead of the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Under the deal, Nexo becomes the official regional digital asset partner of the Argentine national football team across South America as the men’s team prepares to defend its title at the flagship international tournament.
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As part of its deal, Nexo will launch a global ticket giveaway for Argentina’s World Cup matches, which is open to new and existing clients, while also distributing signed squad shirts.
The partnership will also activate through match-day experiences and squad merchandise, such as tier-linked rewards.
Nexo will also distribute co-created player content featuring Argentine legend Lionel Messi and team members Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez, and Nico Paz across its campaign window from May through to the end of the tournament on July 11.
The new agreement comes as Nexo continues its global push, having recently acquired the region's leading platform, Buenbit, and established Buenos Aires as the company's local hub.
For the AFA, the latest agreement comes as the governing body continues to cash in on the presence of Messi, one of the biggest commercial draws in soccer, with the men’s team also commanding a high profile after winning the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Back in August 2025, the AFA appointed sports marketing agency EMW Global for commercial advisory on sponsorships and partnerships in the run-up to this year's World Cup.
Since then, the body has renewed its partnership with foreign exchange trading company XTrend and tapped boutique sports marketing agency Druid Sport to serve as its exclusive commercial representative in the Indian Subcontinent.
Following that deal, which entails Druid managing and selling regional sponsorship rights for the Argentina national teams, the AFA moved fast to agree a regional deal in Bangladesh with electronics company Walton.
These deals exist alongside the AFA’s partnership with sports agency heavyweight IMG, which is the governing body’s exclusive Asia-Pacific sponsorship agency until 2026.
Leandro Petersen, chief commercial & marketing officer of the AFA, said: “We are excited to announce a new partnership with a strong global reach that aligns with the Argentine Football Association’s international growth strategy, which we have been building in recent years through agreements with leading companies in innovation and technology.
“In this context, Nexo’s arrival as the official digital asset partner of the Argentine national team reflects not only the growth of our brand globally, but also the growing interest of international companies in partnering with Argentine soccer and one of the world’s most prominent national teams.”
Meanwhile, the agreement builds on Nexo’s strategy to increase its visibility through sports sponsorships, having most recently signed up to become the inaugural official digital asset partner of the new Audi Formula 1 motor racing team.
The company also has four tennis partnerships, with the ATP Tour, Tennis Australia (TA), the ATP 500 Dallas Open, the ATP 500 Acapulco Open, and the ATP 250 Los Cabos Open.
Nexo also has a three-year partnership with European golf’s DP World Tour that includes title sponsorship of the Scottish Championship.
