FIFA signs Qatari sponsor in first World Cup deal since 2018

SPORTS

FIFA signs Qatari sponsor in first World Cup deal since 2018

Published Monday, September 21, 2020 10:02AM EDT

A video showing scenes from the World Cup, the country of Qatar and the official emblem of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, on a big screen in a metro station in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on September 3, 2019. The next step in the host city selection process for the 2026 World Cup takes place Thursday when FIFA representatives meet with the Canadian Soccer Association and representatives from Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal. The travelling FIFA group is holding similar workshops in Mexico City and Dallas around the Toronto visit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Nelson Antoine

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ZURICH -- FIFA announced its first new World Cup sponsor since the 2018 tournament on Monday.

Qatar-based GWC will be a third-tier "regional" sponsor in the new category of logistics provider, FIFA said in a statement.

The value of a single-tournament deal for the 2022 edition in Qatar was not disclosed.

In the previous four-year commercial cycle, tied to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, FIFA banked more than $150 million in total from third-tier sponsors. A further $80 million was booked as "value-in-kind" for services received from sponsors.

GWC (Gulf Warehousing Company) specializes in transport and logistics for industry sectors including oil and gas, sports events and fine art.

It becomes FIFA's 10th 2022 World Cup sponsor and first in the third-tier category.

FIFA sold 20 of the 34 available sponsor slots in its 2018 World Cup commercial plan.

Each of FIFA's new World Cup sponsors since the 2014 tournament in Brazil has been from China, Qatar or Russia except for one tourism promotion deal with Egypt's government.

FIFA member federations approved a revised budget through 2022 last week, forecasting the coronavirus pandemic would cause a $120 million drop in income to $6.44 billion over four years.