Welcome to Insider Sport ‘s latest edition of the Partnership Playbook, where we bring you the details on some of the latest sports partnerships and sponsorships.
In our latest edition, Liverpool FC partners with Tommy Hilfiger in a world-first fashion collaboration, Mercedes-Benz backs WSL Football at a crucial moment for the women’s game, and Stats Perform lands exclusive betting rights to the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
We also spotlight Major League Volleyball’s record broadcast season in partnership with LTN, as the league builds on its recent merger and aims to engage fans across more platforms than ever before.
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Liverpool FC unveils Tommy Hilfiger as first global fashion partner in world football
Liverpool Football Club has entered into a landmark global partnership with Tommy Hilfiger, marking the iconic American fashion brand’s first-ever club football collaboration.
The multi-year deal will see Tommy Hilfiger design and supply curated wardrobes for LFC men’s and women’s players, coaching staff, and campaigns across the season. Players including Virgil van Dijk and Leanne Kiernan are fronting the launch, which blends Hilfiger’s New York prep aesthetic with Liverpool’s rich football heritage.
Campaigns will roll out during key moments of the football calendar and feature co-branded capsule collections, matchday activations, and fan engagement campaigns across the club’s global channels. The launch included a 101-metre Tommy flag unfurled at Anfield, later donated to the Silly Goose Foundation.
LFC CCO Ben Latty said the partnership would allow the club to explore “a different side of matchday,” while Tommy Hilfiger praised the “value-driven storytelling” at the heart of the Reds’ fan culture.
Major League Volleyball partners with LTN
Major League Volleyball MLV) has extended its partnership with LTN to deliver the most expansive broadcast schedule in league history. The 2026 season will see 50 matches aired across national networks, streaming services and local stations, with LTN providing centralised live production and IP-based video distribution.
The deal builds on MLV’s 2025 unification with Pro Volleyball Federation and reflects the league’s rising media profile, with 2025 coverage up 350% year-on-year. LTN will support the campaign with real-time graphics, remote commentary integration and enhanced fan experiences.
LTN CRO Bryan McGuirk said the collaboration demonstrates how agile production models can unlock reach and monetisation, while MLV’s Rob Carolla highlighted the technology’s role in deepening fan connection during a “milestone season” for the sport.
Mercedes-Benz UK drives forward as Official Automotive Partner of WSL Football
Women’s Super League Football has signed a multi-year deal with Mercedes-Benz in the UK, naming the brand its Official Automotive Partner across both the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) and Barclays WSL2.
The partnership will also see Mercedes-Benz become Presenting Partner of the newly introduced promotion/relegation play-off fixture, giving the third-placed WSL2 team a shot at top-tier football if they beat the bottom-placed WSL side.
The deal underscores Mercedes-Benz’s growing global investment in women’s sport, adding to existing partnerships with the Women’s Open in golf and the WTA Tour. WSL Football’s Chief Revenue Officer Zarah Al-Kudcy called the tie-up “a defining moment” for the women’s game, as the sport continues to scale both commercially and competitively.
Mercedes-Benz UK CEO Olivier Reppert said the partnership reflects the company’s ambition to “inspire and engage the next generation of players and fans” through innovation and long-term investment.
FIFA appoints Stats Perform as first-ever global betting data and streaming rights partner
Stats Perform has been named FIFA’s official worldwide betting data and betting streaming rights distributor in a landmark multi-year deal, becoming the first company to hold such designation from football’s global governing body.
The agreement includes exclusive rights to distribute ultrafast official betting data and live match video streams for several major FIFA tournaments.
Stats Perform’s RunningBall team will collect and deliver ultrafast data to sportsbooks, while the Opta team will provide official player stats and match tracking. In addition to data, the company gains exclusive rights to stream FIFA matches live to betting operators through its Bet LiveStreams platform.
FIFA’s Chief Business Officer Romy Gai said the partnership would support the game and its fans through official innovation, while Stats Perform CEO Carl E. Mergele called the collaboration a “pinnacle” moment for their betting content portfolio. The deal also includes integrity support for FIFA from Stats Perform’s Integrity division.
In other news:
- Aston Villa Football Club named El Gouna Red Sea as an official partner for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.
- The Dallas Open has secured Nexo as its first-ever title partner as it enters its second year as an ATP 500 event.
- Olympique de Marseille have agreed a partnership with Ebury, which becomes an official supplier of the club.
- Newbury Racecourse proudly announces a new partnership with BOYLE Sports, Ireland’s largest independent bookmaker.
- Malaysia Airlines has entered into a landmark partnership with Mumbai Indians, becoming both the Associate Sponsor and Official Global Airline Partner of the team.
- Turkish Airlines has signed a new three-year sports partnership agreement, reaffirming its commitment to elite professional golf.
