FIFA announced on Wednesday that it has reached an agreement for the Chinese electronics company Hisense to be the first sponsor of VAR in the revamped Club World Cup that will be held in the United States next year. According to FIFA's statement, Hisense will have visibility in the video operation room and on the sidelines during the 32-team tournament that will take place in 11 U.S. cities from June 15 to July 13.
"Hisense was the official provider of VAR screens during the UEFA European Championship held in Germany this year. However, this is the first time that VAR in a FIFA tournament will have a sponsor," the statement added.
Despite the less than eight months remaining before the start of the Club World Cup, where teams like Lionel Messi's Inter Miami, Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich will compete in the United States for the first time, no agreements for broadcasting the tournament have been announced yet. Talks with Apple+ have stalled, and U.S. sponsors have focused their efforts on the 2026 World Cup.
Agreements with Saudi sponsors are expected to be announced soon to fulfill FIFA president Gianni Infantino's promise that the prize pool for the tournament will reach hundreds of millions of dollars every four years.
The new agreement with Hisense lays the groundwork for future sponsorship agreements for FIFA's flagship club tournament, according to the organization. Although the exact value of the agreement was not disclosed, more contracts are expected to be signed in the coming weeks. Hisense had already been a FIFA sponsor at the 2018 World Cup and renewed its agreement for the upcoming tournament in Qatar 2022.
The company, which specializes in manufacturing TVs and computers, also signed a contract with UEFA in 2016, when Infantino was leading the organization.
