The significant growth of sports sponsorships in numbers

Sports have always generated significant financial value, and a large part of the revenue of athletes and sports teams comes from sponsorship agreements. In this decade, several factors have led to significant growth in the amounts involved in contracts between sports entities and sponsors. Among them is the consolidation of parallel activities related to sports, mainly bookmakers such as 1xBet.

The strong arrival of betting sites in the world of sports sponsorship has considerably increased the value of agreements. Thus, companies from other industries that want to compete with iGaming companies for the best teams and athletes also have to spend much more money, promoting a cyclical increase in the amounts involved in agreements.

In this article, we will present data on the growth of these amounts. Then, we will explain the main factors behind this rise and, finally, we will present the largest contracts currently in place in different sports.

Data on the growth of sports sponsorship worldwide

The sports sponsorship market has been breaking several records year after year. To get an idea, we have been following the evolution in research related to the topic. The first was conducted by the Statista platform and takes into account data collected in 2022 and 2023, the last period surveyed by the company.

At the time, the revenue of the sports sponsorship market was estimated at $97.35 billion in 2022 and $105.4 billion in 2023. The entity estimates that the segment will experience annual growth of 8.68% until 2030, reaching a stratospheric revenue of $190 billion.

Specifically in Europe, there is more recent data that helps to understand the current landscape of this market. In 2024, the figures involved broke historical records, reaching a total of €23.4 billion. A year earlier, the figures were around €22 billion.

The largest markets are Germany, which generates €6.2 billion, and the United Kingdom, which generates around €5.6 billion. However, according to the study, both grew by less than 10% between 2023 and 2024. When it comes to annual growth, Spain stands out, with an increase of 19% and reaching almost €2 billion.

No wonder: Spanish entities and athletes have been excelling in several of the world’s most popular sports. The main example is football: the country is the current champion of the Men’s UEFA EURO and the Women’s World Cup. Among the teams, powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona have always moved a lot of money. Among athletes, great revelations, such as Lamine Yamal, also attract the attention of the sports market.

In addition to its success in football, it is worth noting that Spain also currently stands out in several other sports. In these cases, the main example is tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, currently number 2 in the world in the ATP rankings and one of the biggest revelations in the sport in recent years.

Other markets have also shown significant growth recently. A great example is Brazilian football, which has been greatly boosted by the regulation of sports betting sites in the country. The most notable case is that of Corinthians, which between 2023 and 2024 secured a deal 445% larger than its previous one by switching from a pharmaceutical company to one in the iGaming segment.

This is reflected in a cycle of prosperity for the entire sport in the country. With more revenue coming into clubs, the league becomes more competitive as it attracts more players. With higher quality, more people are interested in watching the matches. Consequently, the value of television deals also grows, bringing more money into the clubs’ coffers. A similar movement occurred with England’s Premier League following the restructuring of the league in the 1990s.

Key factors explaining the rise

Such significant growth cannot be explained by just one factor, but rather by a combination of circumstances. Together, they form the perfect backdrop for generating this significant increase in revenue from sports sponsorship worldwide.

Sports betting market

The first of these is what we have already briefly mentioned: the consolidation of the sports betting market. Obviously, the main way to promote this type of activity is through sports. And competition in the sector is fierce, as many companies seek to attract different audiences to the activity. Consequently, investment in marketing is huge, generating major movements such as the one we mentioned in Brazilian football.

And there is no shortage of money for companies in the segment to invest in sports sponsorships: currently, the sports betting sector has an annual revenue of around $110 billion, which is very similar to the revenue from sports sponsorships worldwide. And the movement is not likely to stop anytime soon, as estimates indicate that the sports betting market will grow by around 10% per year over the next decade.

The estimate of this huge increase in the sports betting sector is based on many factors. The main one is the fact that many countries are regulating the activity, which until the beginning of the decade was restricted to only a few regions. With this legalization, companies can invest in marketing and, consequently, in sports sponsorships.

Greater interest in sports

Another factor that helps explain the growth in sports sponsorship revenue is the growth in interest in sports worldwide. Some sports that didn´t use to attract large audiences have become popular, largely due to the democratization of broadcasts. In many cases, sports are broadcast free of charge on the internet, without the need to pay for subscription channels, as was the case until recently.

The increased interest in sports is also one of the post-pandemic trends. After a long period of isolation, sports fans now want to enjoy the important moments of athletes and teams in person. Thus, brand exposure increases exponentially, both due to the physical presence of fans and the increase in audience. The consequence is that companies that sponsor teams achieve much more visibility.

Innovative sponsorship actions

Advertising and marketing have evolved considerably, especially after the popularization of social media. As a result, companies are more aware that simply printing a logo on a shirt is not enough to get the expected return on sponsorship agreements.

This has paved the way for innovative ideas that take these agreements to a new level. Some examples occurred when fintechs entered the world of sports sponsorship with force, for example, offering commemorative bank cards for the fans of teams they sponsored.

Association with specific athletes is another type of action that is in vogue. When a company sponsors a team, it can propose to seek a strong reinforcement for the squad and associate its image with that specific athlete. Fans are happy with the improvement of the team and support the activities of the sponsoring company.

A successful case in the world of innovations in sports sponsorship is Barcelona’s agreement with Spotify. The music streaming company often produces commemorative jerseys for classic matches against Real Madrid, printing the logos of popular artists on the team’s jersey. This not only increases the company’s visibility but also causes a boom in jersey sales, which will be purchased not only by fans of the club but also by fans of the artist. In addition, special themed collections for each artist are launched in conjunction with the shirts. Among the names that have already been printed on Barcelona shirts are:

• Travis Scott
• Rosalía
• Coldplay
• Drake
• Rolling Stones
• Karol G

Naming Rights

Another form of sports sponsorship that is becoming increasingly popular is Naming Rights. Instead of printing their logo on a jersey or promoting specific actions, companies buy the name of a competition or arena.

Thus, every time a particular competition is mentioned, the company will also appear in the media. This is a great way to generate spontaneous visibility, as it´s impossible to hide the names of the championships when mentioning them.

In the case of stadiums and arenas, the actions can go even further. Each sector of the space can be named after a specific product. In addition, it is also possible to provide gifts to fans who attend the venue, further strengthening the brand.

Entry of powerful entities into sports

Some regions that are extremely powerful financially have entered the world of sports with force and are now responsible for some of the largest sponsorship deals today. The main example is that of Middle Eastern countries, which today even control powerful clubs in sports.

Take Saudi Arabia, for example, a huge financial powerhouse: by the end of 2024, entities in the country already had more than 900 sponsorship deals between different sports around the world. With such financial power, the sector’s revenue has increased to stratospheric levels.

Companies in the region not only sponsor teams and athletes, but also invest in increasing championship prizes. The most recent example is the FIFA Club World Cup, a new football tournament that distributed huge prizes paid for, in large part, by entities from the Middle East.

Current major sponsorship deals

Now it’s time to find out the biggest deals today. We will consider two factors: football teams, which is the sport with the most data available, and individual athletes. First, let’s look at the teams that earn the most from sponsorships worldwide, considering only the brands printed on their jerseys:

• Real Madrid – €260 million
• Manchester United – €200 million
• Barcelona – €183 million
• Manchester City – €171.5 million
• Paris Saint-Germain – €170 million

Now, let’s look at the athletes who have secured the largest sponsorship deals in the world, considering only individual contracts, not total revenue:

Based on all the factors mentioned above, especially the popularization of new sports and the emergence of new global stars, the trend is for these figures to be even higher very shortly. This will benefit the entire world of sports, with even more spectacular competitions.