Welcome to Insider Sport’s latest edition of the Partnership Playbook, where we bring you details on the latest sports partnerships and sponsorships.
This week’s edition covers Visa’s return to the NFL across 13 teams, Arsenal’s trading-card deal with Topps, and the French Rugby Federation’s kit extension with Adidas through 2036.
Li-Ning enters gymnastics on an eight-year deal, the NHL adds Degree to a run of new sponsors, and golf, netball and ice hockey fill out the week.
Visa rebuilds its NFL presence across 13 teams
Visa has returned to the National Football League (NFL) less than a year after ending its league-wide partnership, agreeing team deals that take its portfolio to 13 franchises.
The payments company renewed agreements with NFL sides Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers, and holds existing deals with the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens.
It added seven franchises: the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
Visa Chief Marketing Officer Frank Cooper III said the focus is on “creating meaningful participation, not just visibility”. Visa sponsored the NFL from 1995 until 2025, when it dropped the league-wide deal and switched to team-by-team agreements.
Visa sponsored the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is committed to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Arsenal names Topps its trading-card partner
Arsenal has signed a multi-year global licensing deal with Topps, making the Fanatics-owned brand its official trading cards and stickers licensee.
The agreement covers physical cards, stickers and trading-card games, including autographs and match-worn relics from the men’s and women’s first teams and selected former players. The first product will be the Topps 2026-27 Arsenal Collectors Tin. Topps agreed a matching deal with Chelsea days earlier.
Arsenal renewed its Emirates shirt and stadium naming-rights deal through 2033 in August and has extended agreements with Hotels.com, Google and Cadbury.
French Rugby Federation extends Adidas kit deal to 2036
The French Rugby Federation (FFR) has extended its kit supply deal with Adidas through 2036, adding eight years to a contract that was due to end in 2028.
The agreement covers the next three men’s and two women’s Rugby World Cups and every edition of the Six Nations. Adidas took over as FFR supplier in September 2024, replacing Le Coq Sportif. France won the men’s Six Nations in 2025 and 2026.
The renewal reportedly carries an increase in annual value for the FFR, though terms were not disclosed.
Li-Ning becomes World Gymnastics sponsor on eight-year deal
World Gymnastics has signed Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning as a global partner in an eight-year deal running to 2033.
The agreement starts immediately and carries Li-Ning branding across all eight gymnastics disciplines, beginning at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam from October 17 to 25. Two of the following events take place in China, Li-Ning’s home market. Li-Ning has supplied World Table Tennis since 2018.
NHL adds Degree to a run of new sponsors
The National Hockey League (NHL) has named Unilever brand Degree its official deodorant partner in the United States under a multi-year deal.
The agreement is the NHL’s second in two days, following a global partnership with live-scores platform Sofascore. The league has also added Black Box Wines, Adobe, Anheuser-Busch InBev and DoorDash in recent weeks. The 2026-27 NHL season began last week.
In other news:
- Aldar became title sponsor of the 2026 Abu Dhabi Championship, the first of the DP World Tour’s two season-ending playoff events, held at Yas Island from November 5 to 8.
- Asics renewed and expanded its deal with Netball Australia to become kit supplier for the Australian Diamonds, replacing New Balance, ahead of the Constellation Cup and the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney.
- Visa renewed its sponsorship of the Asian Football Confederation’s club competitions through 2029, covering the Champions League Elite, Champions League Two and Women’s Champions League.
- Konami extended its licensing deal with the French Football Federation, keeping the national team in its eFootball game.
- Strauss renewed its NFL sponsorship in the UK and Germany ahead of the league’s international games in London and Munich.
- The Champions Hockey League agreed a one-year regional partnership with the Uganda Tourism Board, targeting Swiss audiences.
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