Tag: FIFA

Singapore – FIFA has revealed that Lenovo has been named as an Official FIFA Technology Partner – FIFA’s top tier sponsorship category – in a deal that includes the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil. 

The two tournaments will provide the platform for Lenovo to further grow its global brand amongst fans of the world’s most popular sport and, more importantly, deliver integrated and innovative technologies that will make football more accessible and more engaging for all, growing the game worldwide.

With this, Lenovo’s products, services and solutions, including its emerging suite of innovations that both leverage and power AI (Artificial Intelligence), ThinkPad laptops, tablets, Motorola mobile phones, and servers, will be integrated into the 2026 and 2027 tournaments. 

The company’s technology will power improved fan experiences in stadiums and global broadcasts, power enhanced analytics, and democratise data across all global football-playing nations.

Yuanqing Yang, chairman and CEO at Lenovo, said, “As one of the world’s leading technology companies, we’re delighted to partner with the world’s most global and popular sport. Lenovo will be powering the largest sporting and entertainment events in human history – events with more viewers, more nations participating, and an unprecedented global demand for data processing and technology.”

He added, “Lenovo is proud to support FIFA’s vision of leveraging technology to elevate the game, enhance the fan experience worldwide, and foster innovation that levels the playing field. We’re excited that our cutting-edge technology and AI innovation will take centre stage in the upcoming tournaments, demonstrating to the world the transformative power of smarter technology.”

Meanwhile, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, commented, “At FIFA, we are committed to growing the game globally and making football accessible for all – and we are excited to welcome Lenovo to our journey, and to work with them to implement technologies, innovations and programmes that spread our sport. Data and technology combined helps us to know fans better, and we will use it to create unparalleled and unforgettable fan experiences at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027. In Lenovo, we have a partner who will support us as we evolve and innovate, investing in digital technology and artificial intelligence for future generations.” 

Indonesia – FIFA has launched an invitation to tender (ITT) in Indonesia for the media rights to four of its upcoming World Cup tournaments as the country continues to show promising performance in the qualification processes. 

The tender process will cover rights to FIFA World Cup 26, FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, FIFA World Cup 2030, and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2031.

Through the sale of media rights for its football tournaments, FIFA generates income, which is essential to supporting and developing football around the world, including through the FIFA Forward Development Programme.

The ITT comes as football in Indonesia continues to grow rapidly, following impressive national team performances. Currently, Indonesia is performing well in the AFC qualification process for FIFA World Cup 26, with the men’s national team having their best performance so far since 1938. 

Indonesia’s national women’s team is also making progress, having recently competed in its first AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 33 years.

The FIFA World Cup 26 will be the 23rd edition of the competition and will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. With a record 48 teams, 16 host cities, and three host countries, the tournament will feature a staggering 104 matches, uniting the globe through football in June and July 2026.

In an official blog post, FIFA said, “The tender process for the media rights to these tournaments will allow FIFA to select the entity, or entities, best placed to secure the required transmission and programming commitments to achieve FIFA’s objective of reaching the widest possible audience whilst providing a high-quality viewing experience for fans.” 

Singapore  – Official sports streaming applications and those with close associations to the tournament or FIFA itself observed a huge increase in user acquisition activity as the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament came to a culmination, according to the latest report from data.ai. 

All around the world, streaming partners given official broadcast rights to stream the World Cup Final saw a surge in user acquisition activity around key matches for their respective countries’ teams. 

In particular, BBC iPlayer, RTVE Play, FOX Sports in the US, and Optus Sport in Australia became focal points for fans taking in the match and those leading up to it. 

FOX Sports saw dramatic spikes during the tournament around the US team’s matches. But building excitement can best be seen in the sudden increase in adoption of the BBC iPlayer app as England faced a make-or-break game against Australia, the outcome of which would determine if the UK team was in or out of the final.

Fans’ increasing need to watch the game and its results drove a 50% increase in downloads of the four apps as a cohort when compared to the same number of days preceding the tournament. In terms of numbers, these apps saw a combined 1.06 million new installs across the iOS App Store and Google Play globally during the first four weeks of the Women’s World Cup, which was up from approximately 706,000 in the four weeks leading up to it.

Also looking at how the apps performed in their home markets, there is impressive period-over-period growth in average daily downloads for Spain’s RTVE Play and US-based FOX Sports at 44% and 51%, respectively. Meanwhile, BBC iPlayer had yet to benefit from the full impact of England’s securing a final berth. Australia’s Optus Sport proved to be an outlier, with growth of more than 1,700% from its daily average coming into the tournament.

Furthermore, other apps with connections to FIFA and the Women’s World Cup tournament, like subscription or ad-supported live TV services, also posted impressive results. 

According to estimates by data.ai, the average weekly time spent by US mobile users in cohort apps like Hulu and Youtube TV that carry FOX Sports Live observed an appreciable increase from 48.9 million hours to 52.8 million. The analysis of app usage data also found a combined 8% increase in weekly time spent on them during the Women’s World Cup. 

Additionally, Booking.com, the official travel partner of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, delivered its best month ever for new downloads in July. The app reached 7.4 million, a significant improvement compared to how it performed in July 2022, its previous best month with 7.35 million.

Meanwhile, FIFA Soccer from EA Sports scored perhaps the greatest goal as it reached $1b in lifetime consumer spending.

Australia – Coca-Cola has launched its FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 campaign initiative titled ‘Believing is Magic’ which seeks to promote and improve the collective journey of the FIFA World Cup, generating enthusiasm among fans of football worldwide.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, marking the two countries’ first-ever collaboration. From July 20 to August 20, the event will take place in nine locations, with ten stadiums.

As part of the campaign, Coca-Cola is providing a variety of consumer experiences, including a stadium tour across many places in Australia, where fans may journey through a tunnel filled with games and booths. A special fan-zone area will also allow football fans to capture moments and participate in game booths for a chance to win Coca-Cola tote bags and drink coupons.

Moreover, Coca-Cola’s television commercial will air in New Zealand on July 19 and in Australia on July 20, and it is now available on YouTube. The advertisement, which shows a global community of fans coming together to watch the games, underlines Coca-Cola’s capacity to bring players and supporters closer together. In addition, Coca-Cola will release short films featuring Team Coke athletes such as Ellie Carpenter from Australia, Katie Bowen from New Zealand, Alyssa Naehar from the United States, Wu Hai Yan from China, and Huynh Nhu from Vietnam. 

Kate Miller, marketing director of Coca-Cola Australia, said, “Coca-Cola is committed to bringing people together, and this is at the essence of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This is more than just a football tournament – it is a celebration of positive change in society and a testament to the spirit of believing in magic.” 

She added, “When we unite and believe in the impossible, anything can be achieved. We want everyone to embrace the power of optimism, see what happens when you believe in magic, and be part of what will be an incredible FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

Australia – In the midst of the excitement around the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, Commonwealth Bank and GHO Sydney, a creative firm, have developed a brand-new sponsorship campaign called “For all the goals we share.”

Sam Kerr, a professional football player, is featured in the 30-second TV commercial alongside her CommBank Matildas teammates Courtney Nevin, Tameka Yallop, and Claire Polkinghorne. Avaani Prakash, a potential Young Matildas player, as well as young athletes from the neighbourhood, their families, and encouraging football trainers are also featured in the campaign. Regardless of their scope or importance, each person’s unique objectives are emphasised in the ad’s narrative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg-lAn6f_0g

Dianne Everett, general manager of brand and sponsorships at Commonwealth Bank said, “We couldn’t be prouder to showcase our continued support for women’s football. This campaign brings together months of work from an incredible team who are dedicated to helping people achieve their goals. Now, we get to enjoy a month of celebration as we support the CommBank Matildas.”

Eithne McSwiney, managing director at GHO Sydney, added remarks, “We want this campaign to really resonate with everyone who’s connected to the game of football; the players, the supporters, the families on the sidelines and the community coaches. We’re so excited to help CommBank tell their story of support for women’s football as we chase our shared goal of growing the game for all Australians.”

As an official supporter of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, CommBank extends a warm welcome to female footballers from all around the world. The official Sydney FIFA Fan Festival, scheduled to commence on July 20th at Tumblong Park, will include an engaging CommBank activation called ‘Train like a Matilda.’ This exciting experience will be available throughout the tournament, culminating with the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final on August 20th.