Visa has moved to maintain a visible presence across Asian and Middle Eastern markets by extending its deal with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Asia and the Middle East have become target regions for Visa lately, with the company having pursued partnerships in major markets such as the UAE and South Korea.
To maintain visibility, the firm has become the official global sponsor of some of the AFC’s main competitions, including the AFC Champions League Elite and Women’s Champions League.
The extensions will encompass the remainder of this season and forthcoming ones. Additionally, the company will secure a presence in the AFC Champions League Two and the Asian 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.
Tarek Abdalla, SVP, CMO for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Visa, said: “We are excited to renew Visa’s partnership with the Asian Football Confederation.
“This partnership highlights our ongoing dedication to uniting people through the universal language of sports and seamlessly aligns with our brand positioning – uplifting everyone, everywhere.
“Visa is proud to be in the unique position of sponsoring both the AFC Asian Qualifiers and the FIFA World Cup 2026. This provides opportunities to engage with fans as they follow their national team through the qualifying matches and all the way to the finals of the FIFA World Cup in July 2026. We look forward to creating memorable experiences for fans, local communities and teams alike at upcoming AFC events.”
Visa first became a partner of the AFC ahead of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup held in Qatar. This saw the digital payments company offer its services throughout fixtures during the competition, as well as engaging fans in new initiatives.
These fan engagement campaigns saw the introduction of Visa Coin Toss, allowing Visa cardholders to participate in pre-match coin tosses with match officials and competing team captains.
Visa Coin Toss will return as part of the partnership extension, as well as other new initiatives such as the Final Whistle Experience and the Visa Player Escort Kids Programme.
The Final Whistle Experience see’s Visa allowing prize winners to watch the final 10 minutes of selected AFC competition games pitchside. Furthermore, the Visa Player Escort Kids Programme gives the opportunity to more than 100 children to walk out with players on the pitch before the AFC Champions League Elite Finals.
AFC General Secretary, Datuk Seri Windsor John, added: “Building on the incredible success of the greatest-ever AFC Asian Cup in history, the AFC is delighted to expand our partnership with Visa and welcome them as an official global supporter of our world-class competitions.
“The strategic reforms introduced to our competitions are already leaving a lasting impact on our teams and passionate fanbase, and we thank Visa for underlining their confidence in the future of Asian football.”
