Brazil & Uber: New Football Sponsorship Deal

[Reported by Wang Han compiled by South American Overseas Chinese News]The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has reached an eighth sponsorship agreement for the Brazilian national football team’s 2026 World Cup project. On Thursday (5th), the organization announced that Uber will become the sponsor of the Brazilian men’s football team, women’s football team and youth national team. The agreement is valid until the end of each team’s current season, including this year’s Men’s World Cup and the Women’s World Cup to be held in Brazil in 2027.

The Brazilian website “Lance!” reported that for women’s football, in addition to sponsoring the national team until the 2027 World Cup, the agreement also covers the Brazilian Série A1 (Série A1), the Brazilian Cup (Copa do Brasil) and the Brazilian Super Cup (Supercopa). Uber will have the right to display its brand at events during team training, produce digital content, interact with fans and carry out social education activities in partnership with the Brazilian Football Confederation’s “Seleção Solidária” (Seleção Solidária) project.

The official vehicle of the Brazilian national team will also bear the travel company’s logo. CBF said they plan to conduct on-site marketing activities and create exclusive experiences for the public. In the announcement, CBF President Samir Xaud emphasized the global reach of the Uber brand and its fit with the Brazilian national team program.

“Uber is a globally recognized brand of innovation, technology and human connection, and these values ​​coincide with the essence of football, which closely connects fans, athletes and communities across the country. We are very excited to have Uber join our cooperation, which will expand cooperation opportunities, bring our national team closer to millions of passionate fans, and strengthen our commitment to create a more accessible, dynamic and future-proof football world.” The executive said.

Sílvia Penna, Uber Brazil Country Director, emphasized Uber’s close connection with the daily lives of Brazilians. In 2024, the brand announced that it had more than 120 million active users in Brazil.

“Just like football, Uber has also been integrated into the daily lives of Brazilians.” The brand person in charge pointed out, “Working together with the Brazilian national team can not only support the unity of our country, but also help athletes, coaching staff and fans achieve greater achievements.”

This week, CBF also announced an agreement with car manufacturer Volkswagen, which will return Volkswagen to the Brazilian national team after 12 years. The press conference was held at the CBF headquarters, and Brazilian national team coach Carlo Ancelotti even served as the spokesperson for the advertising campaign. To date, CBF has announced cooperation with eight brands from different markets.

In addition to Uber and Volkswagen, Brazil has also cooperated with Itaú Bank, beverage company Ambev, telecommunications company Vivo, food delivery software Ifood, pharmaceutical company Cimed and team uniform supplier Nike as major business partners for this World Cup cycle. CBF expects to have concluded 11 to 12 cooperation agreements by the time the World Cup begins. According to reports, the agreements are expected to generate revenue of 1 billion reais.

At the Volkswagen press conference, CBF marketing director Bernardo Bessa talked about the commercial projects being developed by the Brazilian Football Association and the positioning of the “Brazilian National Team” brand.

“We went to the market to negotiate with brands with judgment and told them that CBF and its management are in a new stage. This is a modern era, and we need to exchange ideas with everyone. CBF is no longer a closed organization, it is no longer the old organization before, it is an organization that can speak out and represent Brazilians “People’s institutions need to be connected with the major brands in the Brazilian market. So, I think this is our strategy when we show all the plans from now to the end of 2027, because we have already done everything planned, the brands will be more willing to invest a lot of budget in our national team.”