Global Sponsor is the second highest level in the hierarchy of FIFA corporate partnershipsSBJ

Bank of America has signed up as a global sponsor for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking FIFA’s first global sponsorship in the banking sector. Financial terms of the agreement, which will run throughout the World Cup in North America, were not disclosed.

Global Sponsor is the second highest level in FIFA’s corporate partnership hierarchy. According to an industry source, sponsorships at this level for the 2026 World Cup cost around $100 million. The deal is Bank of America’s largest investment in sports marketing. Octagon was involved in the deal on behalf of Bank of America.

Other global sponsors of the 2026 World Cup so far include Budweiser, McDonald’s, Unilever’s Dove Men+Care brand and China-based Mengniu Dairy. The most important “FIFA partners” for the current World Cup cycle include Aramco, Adidas, Coca-Cola, Hyundai-Kia, Qatar Airways and Visa.

For the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, FIFA had seven partners at each of these levels, as well as regional supporters in each of the organization’s five regions: Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, North America and South America.

Sponsoring the World Cup represents an atypical investment in football for Bank of America, the country’s second-largest bank. It is primarily linked to the NFL, MLB and NASCAR through contracts at team and event level.

Last year, the Charlotte-based institution renewed its naming rights to the city’s NFL stadium, which is also home to MLS player Charlotte FC. However, rival Ally Financial serves as the soccer club’s jersey sponsor. Bank of America also recently signed a deal to be the main sponsor of the Boston Marathon.

FIFA’s foray into the banking sector could be a setback for the 16 World Cup host cities currently in the market for marketing their own “fans” designations.

While FIFA’s decision to allow host cities to sign their own local sponsorship deals is a concession, as it is the first time the governing body has offered this option, host city officials are largely prohibited from signing deals in categories where FIFA has its own partnerships.

It is not immediately clear whether the host cities sought agreements with financial institutions in their local markets.