The Canadian arm of global tech giant Samsung has become the latest brand to partner with the Canada Soccer governing body ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
As the official TV and mobile partner of Canada Soccer, Samsung Canada will gain prominent branding presence across the men’s and women’s national team fixtures (excluding FIFA tournaments) and events.
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The company will also provide its consumer electronics tech to the body to support its fan engagement goals.
Additionally, the pair will collaborate to offer co-branded competitions, prizes, and ‘VIP experiences’ surrounding national team events.
Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment (CSME), the newly rebranded commercial arm of the Canada Soccer national body, brokered the partnership under its new long-term remit.
Indeed, CSME, formerly Canada Soccer Business, recently agreed a new long-term commercial partnership with Canada Soccer, ensuring the future commercialization of the sport in the country.
This agreement will run through 2037, cementing a new revenue-sharing model that will shape soccer investment in the country through the next decade.
In the past, revenue had not been shared. Instead, the former Canada Soccer Business paid Canada Soccer a set amount each year, around $3 million to $4 million, with the rest used by CSB to help fund the growing top-tier Canadian Premier League (CPL).
These new revenue-sharing terms are backstopped by a minimum annual sum that is guaranteed, and the agreement also comes with two additional lump-sum payments from CSME to Canada Soccer through the term.
Previously, the agreement covered both sponsorship revenue and media rights (relating to CSME’s OneSoccer OTT platform), and has now been expanded to include licensing and merchandising activity related to the Canada Soccer brand, expanding CSME’s remit.
Most recently, the firm added Michelob Ultra Canada, a subsidiary of brewing giant Anheuser-Busch (AB InBev) as a commercial partner of Canada Soccer ahead of the World Cup, which the country will co-host alongside the US and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
