Asian soccer’s AFC governing body has added Saudi Arabian state-owned oil giant Aramco as the latest commercial partner of its upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2027 national team tournament.
Aramco will serve as a ‘global supporter’ of the tournament, which will be staged in Saudi Arabia, and, crucially, will gain venue naming rights to Al Khobar Stadium for the duration of the event.
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The prospective 46,096-capacity venue, currently under construction, will be the home of the Aramco-owned Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah, with Aramco serving as not only the venue operator but also the stadium's title partner in domestic soccer.
This will now extend to the national team arena, which requires additional partnership with the AFC to cover its own governed competitions.
On the deal, AFC general secretary Datu Seri Windsor John said: “The AFC is delighted to welcome Aramco as we enter a new era of commercial innovation. By integrating naming rights for the first time, we are creating a more immersive platform for our partners whilst providing our passionate fans with an unparalleled match-day experience.”
Indeed, this is the first such instance of a stadium naming partnership agreement with the AFC, but it follows a trend that has most notably seen the International Olympic Committee sell venue naming rights for the first time ahead of the LA28 Games.
The AFC says that this move will help it to align with “global industry standards” regarding sponsorship inventory.
The Aramco Stadium will be the only venue outside of the country’s two major urban centers, Riyadh and Jeddah, to host AFC Asian Cup 2027 fixtures.
Five stadia in Riyadh, including the King Fahd Sports City Stadium (set to be expanded to 70,200 seats) and two in Jeddah (including the 62,345-capacity King Abdullah Sports City Stadium) make up the remainder of the host venues.
Aramco’s ‘global supporter’ designation stands in the second tier of sponsors of the tournament, a tier that also includes credit card giant Visa, consumer tech brand Midea, sporting goods manufacturer Kelme, and sports healthcare provider Aspetar.
The top-tier global partner designation is held by the Qatar Airways airline, the Saudi Arabian city project Neom, the Saudi Arabian tourist board, and the Japanese financial services provider Credit Saison.
