FIFA officially announced Chinese commercial powerhouse Wanda Group as their newest top lever partner in Zurich yesterday (19 March) in the presence of FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Wanda Group’s Chairman Wang Jianlin.

The agreements will see Wanda Group become a top level sponsor of FIFA World Cup for the next four editions. The deal will see Wanda Group as the first Chinese company to sign up as a partner of the world’s governing body of football. Wanda will have the rights to launch a range of promotional campaigns until 2030 as part of the agreements.

Speaking about the deal, newly elected FIFA President Gianni Infantino said “We are pleased to welcome the Wanda Group to FIFA. A company that has a long affiliation with football, has been an active supporter of the game for many years and shares our enthusiasm to develop and strengthen football.”

“As FIFA President, I am committed to providing stronger support for football development to our member associations, and I believe that the relationship with Wanda will support us to continue the on-going development and growth of the game in China and all over the world,” continued Infantino.

“We are highly motivated to promote football across the country and to inspire a new generation of youngsters. The Chinese Government is committed to this development and as a company we strongly support these efforts. In order to professionally grow the existing grassroots movement into a sustainable and well managed sport, we are delighted to tap into the vast experience of the most competent advisor – FIFA. We believe in football as one of the most attractive sports globally and have the highest trust in FIFA and its newly established organisational structure under the lead of President Gianni Infantino,” said Wang Jianlin, Chairman of the Wanda Group.

Source: FIFA.com