The German Football Association (DFB) and Deutsche Telekom have agreed to extend its partnership until 2026, which will see the latter be a partner for the German national team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Deutsche Telekom will receive exposure during the competition to be held in the US, Canada and Mexico, and will also extend to the German women’s national team and Under-21 national team.
Dr. Holger Blask, Chairman of the Management Board of DFB GmbH & Co. KG., said: “We are very pleased to further develop the long-standing partnership with Deutsche Telekom once again.
“It is a special concern for Telekom and DFB that women’s football will also be part of the partnership. In addition, Telekom supports the digitisation of amateur football by providing a variety of automated cameras. This also gives football more visibility at the base.”
A key focus of the partnership extension is the promotion of amateur football across Germany, with both parties agreeing to launch an initiative that enables clubs to stream games and training sessions.
The DFB will use SPORTTOTAL cameras to be supplied to interested German clubs that will help transmit their games live across the internet, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and 4G/5G.
The 16 centimeters tall camera is fixed to a mast, to the stadium roof or in the sports hall at the level of the center line. Fans who cannot be present in-person will be able to still watch amateur games by gaining access to the streaming data at any time after the end of the game.
In addition, selected training units can be analysed and performance data evaluated. The more than 100 winners can use the system free of charge for two years.
Michael Hagspihl, SVP of Global Strategic Projects and Marketing Partnerships at Deutsche Telekom, added: “Telekom and the DFB have stood for trusting and successful cooperation for years. Especially with the EURO in our own country, we have seen what positive radiation effects this partnership can have.
“That is why we are particularly pleased that we will also accompany our women’s national team and our youth team on the way to the upcoming major tournaments and that we will continue our joint success story with the DFB.”
