Real Madrid has signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with Corpay, bringing the payments firm into the club’s commercial portfolio through its cross-border division.
Announced on June 2, the agreement will see Corpay become an official sponsor of the club, providing access to its foreign exchange (FX) risk management tools and global payment solutions.
The partnership was confirmed at the Real Madrid City boardroom. Real Madrid Director of Institutional Relations Emilio Butragueño and Corpay co-directors Pablo de la Vega and Roberto del Diego Monedero were present.
Real Madrid will use Corpay’s technology to improve international financial operations, a growing need for clubs operating on a global scale.
“The Corpay cross-border team is delighted to be made an official sponsor of Real Madrid,” said Brad Loder, Chief Marketing Officer at Corpay Cross-Border Solutions. “We’re excited to partner with one of the world’s most successful football clubs as we continue to grow the Corpay brand and our FX solutions business.”
A strategic commercial fit
For Real Madrid, the deal reflects a broader strategy of aligning with partners across key operational areas. While the club remains a dominant global football brand, off-pitch partnerships like this one demonstrate the complexity and size of its business.
Corpay’s cross-border division will support the club in managing FX exposure and executing cross-currency transactions tied to everything from player transfers to global merchandising and commercial rights deals.
This kind of utility-first approach mirrors a shift occurring at top clubs across Europe. Speaking at SportsPro Live in London, an event attended by Insider Sport, Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer Juliet Slot described how the club has redefined its philosophy around commercial partnerships.
“In the past, I’ve been guilty of trying to get partners and then plugging them into our systems,” Slot admitted. Now, she says, the approach is different.
“We are a retailer, physical and digital. We’re a ticketing business, we’re an events business, we’re an experiential business, we also do football… we are a lot of things to people that they experience in a multitude of environments outside of coming to the game.”
“We’re not a football club,” she added. “We’re a global brand that plays football that really serves our supporters.”
This framework could just as easily apply to Real Madrid. Like Arsenal, the Spanish giants are now responsible for a range of experiences that touch everything from e-commerce to entertainment.
Corpay’s calculated move into sport
The Real Madrid agreement continues Corpay’s push into the sports sponsorship market. It follows deals with Manchester City (August 2024), UFC (December 2024), and Major League Soccer (MLS) (May 2025), where it was named the league’s official foreign exchange provider.
Each involves embedding Corpay’s services into their operations, allowing the payments company to build brand recognition through working, not just sponsorship.
“We are thrilled to welcome Corpay as the official foreign exchange provider of MLS,“ said Greg Millard, MLS SVP, Brand Alliances.
“MLS is part of the global game, and we look forward to working with Corpay to make our foreign exchange practices more efficient.”
