FIFA Adds New Zealand Gambling Sponsor for Women’s World Cup

TAB is a licensed entity operated as a state monopoly in New Zealand. The agreement was revealed on Monday and it marks the first time that the organizaiton has agreed to such a partnership, which covers the Women’s World Cup.

New Zealand Welcomes Women’s World Cup and Gambling Sponsorship

Due to take place in New Zealand from July 20 through August 20, the event will now see TAB signage and branding in all four New Zealand host stadiums. The event is also co-hosted in Australia.

Meanwhile, both FIFA and TAB were quiet on the financial terms of the deal. The Women’s World Cup has been gathering a lot of steam in recent years, with more athletes getting involved, and better performances realized.

The event also follows the Men’s World Cup in Qatar hosted in 2022. That event too promoted the Betano brand, for example with a focus on Europe. No further information was immediately made available on the occasion of the partnership, but FIFA and UEFA are moving forward with such deals to find sources of funding.

As the global soccer bodies condone such partnerships, seeing a strong financial incentive to do so, local custodians of the sport have been making an about-face. In the United Kingdom, for example, the Premier League, the country’s top-flight soccer league, has agreed to terminate shirt sponsorships, for example, through a deadline set for 2025/2026.

This date may not be final, however, but it’s most likely to kick in. This has not stopped a number of clubs from actually pursuing a last-minute deal with sports gambling bodies – within the confines of the expected deadline, understandably.

Soccer Is Trying to Find Another Way But Old Habits Die Hard

Stake and Chelsea signed a sponsorship just a few weeks ago, and so have other clubs, as they are looking to make the most out of the existing rules it seems. It’s not always and necessarily a sports club’s fault to seek the best financial terms for its sponsorships either, despite some lash back from fans. A similar partnership was signed with BK8 and Aston Villa.

One of the big issues has been that many traditional and non-gambling sponsors have refused to offer prize purses that approach those of sports betting companies for one. However, the world of sports is changing and gambling sponsorships are slowly being phased out.