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.
This week, technology and fan engagement take centre stage as Google deepens its ties with US Soccer through Search, while MLS and World Wide Technology invest in AI-led personalisation to shape the next phase of digital fandom.
Elsewhere, brands continue to broaden their approach to sponsorship, with Unilever scaling creator-led World Cup activations, STANLEY embedding community impact into club partnerships, and Formula 1 extending into lifestyle entertainment through a Hasbro collaboration.
Google partners with US Soccer on Search-led fan engagement
Google has announced a partnership with US Soccer, aimed at enhancing how fans engage with the sport through its Search platform.
The collaboration will focus on integrating AI-powered Search features into the fan experience, enabling supporters to access everything from live match information to deeper insights into the game. The partnership will also include dedicated campaigns and exclusive social content featuring U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Team players.
The agreement launches alongside the 2026 Men’s National Team roster reveal and forms part of Google’s broader strategy of aligning with national teams to drive digital engagement, following similar partnerships across global football markets.
The deal highlights the increasing role of search, AI and discovery tools in shaping how fans interact with sport, as technology platforms continue to position themselves at the centre of the fan journey.
Formula 1 teams up with Hasbro for Monopoly collaboration
Formula 1 (F1) has partnered with Hasbro to launch a special edition of Monopoly themed around the global racing championship.
The collaboration will see the release of “Monopoly Formula 1 Edition”, allowing fans to engage with the sport through a reimagined board game experience based on the F1 calendar, teams and race-day dynamics. The product is available for pre-order from May ahead of a full launch in July.
Emily Prazer, Chief Commercial Officer at F1, said the partnership brings “a Formula 1 twist to such a classic,” highlighting its potential to engage fans of all ages, while Hasbro emphasised the opportunity to translate the “adrenaline of race day” into a new format.
The deal reflects Formula 1’s continued expansion into lifestyle and entertainment products, as the series looks to extend its reach beyond live racing and into broader fan engagement experiences.
Unilever activates creator-led campaign for World Cup 2026
Unilever has unveiled its largest-ever sports marketing activation as the Official Personal Care Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026, with a campaign spanning more than 35 brands.
The initiative will centre on creator-led, social-first engagement, with Unilever partnering influencers across sport, lifestyle and entertainment to deliver content designed to connect with fans throughout the tournament. Core activations include ‘House of Fresh’, a physical creator hub across host cities, and a 24/7 digital content operation aimed at responding to live match moments in real time.
Afke van de Klashorst, Vice President of Integrated Brand Experience at Unilever Personal Care, said the campaign reflects a shift towards using sport “as a platform to build brand desire and cultural relevance,” while FIFA’s Romy Gai highlighted the tournament’s role as “the most socially connected” edition to date.
The activation underscores the growing importance of creator economies and social media ecosystems in major sporting events, as brands look to extend engagement beyond traditional sponsorship into always-on, culturally driven storytelling.
STANLEY launches pan-European platform across club partnerships
STANLEY has unveiled a new pan-European campaign, ‘Built to Support’, designed to unify its football partnerships with FC Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Olympique Lyonnais and PSV Eindhoven.
The long-term platform will centre on celebrating tradespeople as both professionals and football supporters, with activations spanning stadium experiences, retail promotions and community initiatives across key European markets.
As part of the campaign, STANLEY will donate LED perimeter advertising inventory on selected matchdays to highlight local tradespeople, while also supporting grassroots football through pitch renovation projects delivered in partnership with club foundations.
Darren Barber, Senior Marketing Director at STANLEY, said the initiative aims to put tradespeople “at the centre of our partnerships,” positioning football as a bridge between the brand and its core audience.
The campaign reflects a broader shift towards purpose-led sponsorship strategies, as brands look to connect commercial partnerships with community impact and local engagement beyond matchday visibility.
Coca-Cola partners with Football Australia national teams
Coca-Cola has signed a two-year agreement with Football Australia, becoming the Official Supplier of the CommBank Socceroos and CommBank Matildas.
The partnership will see Coca-Cola activate across key international moments, including the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, with integrated marketing campaigns, limited-edition products and fan engagement initiatives.
Initial activations include retail promotions featuring national team players, alongside competitions offering VIP matchday experiences and exclusive prizes, with campaigns set to roll out nationwide across digital, broadcast and in-store channels.
Football Australia CEO Martin Kugeler said the deal creates “new opportunities to connect with fans across the country,” while Coca-Cola highlighted its focus on bringing communities together through shared football moments.
The agreement reinforces Coca-Cola’s long-standing investment in football, aligning global brand campaigns with major international tournaments to drive engagement at scale.
MLS partners with World Wide Technology on AI-driven fan engagement
Major League Soccer (MLS) has partnered with World Wide Technology (WWT), naming the firm as its official technology solutions partner in a move centred on data, AI and personalised fan experiences.
The agreement will see MLS build and scale new digital capabilities across content, matchday experience and internal operations, with a focus on using AI to better understand fan behaviour and deliver more tailored engagement.
Key areas of the partnership include personalised content discovery, smarter fan experiences and improved operational efficiency, as the league looks to strengthen its commercial model through deeper audience insight.
MLS Chief Technology Officer John Nicastro said the ambition is to build “the most connected, digitally powered league in global sports,” while WWT emphasised that the collaboration is about creating integrated systems that can generate broader insights rather than relying on a single AI tool.
In other news:
- Crystal Palace Football Club have partnered with Temporal as the club’s new front-of-shirt partner in a multi-year agreement beginning with the 2026/27 season.
- Globant is adding to the spectacle of F1 by engineering a new connected fan journey within the official F1 app
- FC Barcelona have named Emirates Islamic as its official commercial banking partner in the United Arab Emirates until 2028.
- Raków Częstochowa have extended their partnerships with adidas until the end of the 2028/29 season
- Paris Saint-Germain and Accor have renewed their partnership until 2030, with ALL Accor remaining the club’s premium hotel partner.
- Spreadex Sports have expanded its long-standing partnership with UK and Scottish horse racing, increasing its Starting Stalls sponsorship from 20 to 22 racecourses for the 2026 summer flat season.
- The Würth Group has renewed its partnership with international handball by extending its partnership with the IHF and its crown event, the IHF World Championships for men and women until 2029.
