Welcome to Insider Sport’s latest edition of the Partnership Playbook, where we bring you details on the latest sports partnerships and sponsorships.
My advice to any athlete asked a question about China is to tread carefully if you want to keep your, your team’s or your league’s commercial agreements intact.
In our top story, Insider Sport looks at whether Spanish football is heading for its own NBA-style China crisis after Mbappé’s comments prompted commercial fallout and a Real Madrid apology.
Elsewhere, McDonald’s is waving goodbye to 32 years of FIFA World Cup sponsorship, Midnite has potted the final ball in its snooker Triple Crown with a deal covering all three major tournaments, and the RFU and Gilbert are keeping a century-old relationship in play.
Real Madrid apologises to China
Real Madrid has joined Kylian Mbappé and La Liga in damage-control mode after the player’s comments about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
The French forward referred to Mao as a “dictator” in an interview six months ago. However, the clip has only just gone viral on Chinese social media platforms, leading three Chinese companies to end commercial agreements with the player and state broadcaster CCTV to suspend La Liga broadcasts in China.
Mbappé and La Liga apologised for the comments following the action from Chinese companies. Real Madrid, which has been unaffected so far, issued an apology this morning (28 October).
“The club joins in the public apology expressed by Kylian Mbappé, in which the player himself expressed his regret for his words and reiterated his respect for the Chinese people,” read a statement from Real Madrid.
“Real Madrid reaffirms its commitment to the values of respect, coexistence and understanding between cultures, and expresses its desire to continue strengthening the bonds of friendship and affection that unite it with China and its citizens.”
Real Madrid has existing agreements with Chinese businesses, including Linglong Tire, its official global tyre partner and electronics manufacturer Hisense.
The NBA offers a real-world example of how one individual comment can affect an entire league.
Following Daryl Morey’s 2019 comments supporting Hong Kong’s protests, Chinese broadcasters suspended NBA coverage and commercial relationships were also dropped. NBA China Games only returned in 2025.
McDonald’s ends 32-year FIFA World Cup partnership
McDonald’s is walking away from one of football’s biggest commercial stages, ending a 32-year relationship with FIFA.
The fast-food giant’s sponsorship agreement will expire at the end of 2026, ending a partnership that began in 1994 and covered eight tournaments.
McDonald’s launched its largest World Cup campaign to date earlier this year, which the company said boosted business but fell short of expectations.
The decision comes despite the tournament’s commercial success, with FIFA forecasting around $11bn in revenue across the 2023–2026 commercial cycle before raising expectations to more than $15bn.
Despite the size of the global event and FIFA’s plans for further growth in the coming years, McDonald’s said it wants to focus more on its own brand-led experiences and customer relationships.
The fast-food company won’t be leaving the sport, however. Other partnerships, such as its title sponsorship of France’s Ligue 1, are still in place.
Midnite completes snooker’s Triple Crown
Midnite has completed a clean sweep of snooker’s biggest tournaments, extending its World Snooker Tour partnership to cover all three events in the sport’s prestigious Triple Crown.
The betting and casino brand has been named the official UK betting and casino partner of the UK Championship, adding the tournament to its existing sponsorships of the World Snooker Championship and the Masters.
Following the deal, Midnite branding will feature across all three events, spanning York’s Barbican, Alexandra Palace in London and Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.
The UK Championship, which runs from 28 November to 6 December, will also feature a record prize fund of £1.5m, up from £1.2m in 2025, with the winner taking home £312,500.
Callum Wilson, Midnite’s Senior PR Manager, said: “These are the three tournaments that every snooker player dreams of winning, and they mean a huge amount to fans as well. To have Midnite involved in all three is something we’re really proud of.”
RFU and Gilbert: 25 years or two centuries?
The RFU and Gilbert have renewed an official partnership, but while the commercial agreement stretches back more than 25 years, their relationship on the pitch goes back over a century.
Under the new deal, Gilbert will continue as England Rugby’s official supplier, providing match balls, training equipment and clothing for RFU match officials.
Gilbert balls have featured in England matches for more than 100 years, and the brand has supplied rugby equipment for over two centuries.
The renewal marks the longest term of the official agreement to date, according to Richard Gray, CEO of Gilbert Commercial.
“For over a century, Gilbert balls have been at the centre of England’s greatest moments – and renewing this commitment for our longest term ever is a privilege we don’t take lightly,” Gray said.
“The length of our partnership is testament to the quality and trust that Gilbert has built for over 200 years – the reason we are the chosen partner of elite unions and grassroots clubs across the globe.
In other news:
- Newcastle United has signed a multi-year partnership with Corpay, naming it the club’s official FX and cross-border payments partner.
- F1 Academy has teamed up with Sanrio for a second year, bringing Hello Kitty and Friends branding to the series’ Las Vegas finale.
- LA28 and Team USA have named Sidley an official legal services provider to support the commercial, operational and regulatory demands of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
- Nike has signed a multi-year deal to become the official kit partner of Mumbai Indians’ men’s and women’s teams from the 2027 season.
- Churchill Downs and the 2027 Kentucky Derby have selected Visa as the preferred payment partner in a multi-year deal.
- INTERSPORT and HYROX have extended their European partnership through 2027, doubling the number of supported races to six.
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