Qatar Airways Extends FIFA Soccer Partnership Through 2030

Qatar Airways and FIFA have extended their partnership, with the airline continuing to be the soccer governing body’s partner since 2017. The deal was renewed on November 22, 2023, one year and two days after the FIFA World Cup opening game in Qatar in 2022.The carrier outlined that the renewed deal will see Qatar Airways as the FIFA Global Airline Partner for the next seven years, covering several significant international soccer events. This includes two FIFA World Cups, one in the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 2026 and another in Argentina, Morocco, Paraguay, Portugal, and Uruguay in 2030, as well as all youth men’s and women’s tournaments. The first youth tournament within the partnership was the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia, which started on November 10, 2023. The signing of the agreement was attended by Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Badr Mohammed Al-Meer and FIFA President Gianni Infantino at Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) “against the backdrop of the airline’s Boeing 787-8, as well as the Airbus A350-900.” Notably, Qatar Airways has a Boeing 777-200LR, registered as A7-BBI, with a special FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 sticker. Another soccer-related livery is found on a Boeing 777-300ER, registered as A7-BEK, with the airline highlighting its partnership with Paris Saint German (PSG).According to Al-Meer, the airline is excited “to extend our partnership with FIFA as the Global Airline Partner.” Qatar Airways is committed to connecting the world, with the partnership enabling the carrier to reach millions of fans, noted the recently hired CEO of the airline, who replaced Akbar al-Baker, the long-standing CEO of Qatar Airways Group.With the partnership between FIFA and Qatar Airways extended for seven years, this will open the doors for other airlines to become the organization’s officially designated carrier by 2030. On October 31, 2023, FIFA announced that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation was the only bidder to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034, potentially opening the door for one of the Saudi Arabia-based airlines to become the governing body’s Global Airline Partner.Out of the two major airlines in the country, the recently launched Riyadh Air seems like the perfect candidate. The carrier has already dabbled into sports sponsorship agreements with its deal with Atletico Madrid, which was announced on August 10, 2023. At the time, Tony Douglas, the CEO of Riyadh Air, said that the carrier was looking forward “to working closely with our friends at Atlético de Madrid to deliver innovative and exciting experiences for football fans and travellers.” The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns Riyadh Air, is also a leading investor in the group that owns Newcastle United, the English Premier League (EPL) club. Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in an interview that he would continue “sportswashing” if it increases the country’s General Domestic Product (GDP) in September 2023. Bin Salman also added that if a country wants to diversify its economy, part of that has to be tourism, which includes its sports sector.