Asian soccer’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) governing body has added the Saudi Arabian State-owned oil giant Aramco as the latest commercial partner of its upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2027 national team tournament.
The stadium naming partnership agreement is an AFC first.
‘Sportcal’ stated that Aramco will serve as a ‘global supporter’ of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 which will be staged in Saudi Arabia, and, crucially, will gain venue naming rights to the Al Khobar Stadium for the duration of the event.
Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)-based the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia. The AFC was formed in 1954. It has 47 members.
Dhahran (Saudi Arabia)-based Aramco is a leading producer of the energy and chemicals that drive global commerce and enhance the daily lives of the people around the globe by continuing to deliver an uninterrupted supply of energy to the world.
The 2027 AFC Asian Cup will be the 19th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international Men’s football championship of Asia organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The tournament will involve 24 national teams after the expansion in 2019. It will be held in Saudi Arabia from January 7th-February 5th, 2027.
Aramco Stadium
The Aramco Stadium is an under construction multipurpose stadium located in the North of Khobar, Saudi Arabia. It is set to be a venue for the 2034 FIFA World Cup™ and has a proposed capacity of 46,096 people where it will host fixtures in the Group Stage, Round of 32 and Round of 16. It will also be used for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
The prospective 46,096-capacity Aramco Stadium, currently under construction, will be the home of the Aramco-owned Saudi Pro League (highest division of association football in the Saudi league system) side Al-Qadsiah with Aramco serving as not only the venue operator but also the stadium’s title partner in domestic soccer.
‘Sportcal’ further stated that this will now extend to the national team arena which requires additional partnership with the AFC to cover its own governed competitions.
Enriching Fan Experience
The AFC General Secretary Datu Seri Windsor John said on the deal, “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 matchday experience.”
AFC First
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 (IOC) sell the venue naming rights for the first time ahead of the LA28 Games.
The AFC says that this move will help it to align with the “global industry standards” regarding sponsorship inventory.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the international, non-Governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas it is based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The 2028 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad and commonly known as the Los Angeles 2028 or LA28, is an upcoming international multisport event scheduled to take place from July 14th-30th, 2028 in the United States. Los Angeles will be the host city with various events also scheduled to be held at other cities spread across the Greater Los Angeles area plus two subsites in Oklahoma City.
Host Venues
The Aramco Stadium will be the only venue outside of Saudi Arabia’s two major urban centers, Riyadh and Jeddah, to host the 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 for the remainder of the host venues.
‘Global Supporter’
Aramco’s ‘global supporter’ designation stands in the second tier of sponsors of the tournament, a tier that also includes the credit card giant Visa, the consumer tech brand Midea, the sporting goods manufacturer Kelme, and the 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.
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