Premier League Clubs Dominate the Biggest Shirt Sponsorship Deals of 2024/25

The commercial weight of the Premier League makes it a competitive hunting ground for business behemoths to market themselves. Half of the biggest shirt sponsorship deals of 2024/25 can be found in the English top-flight.

While the Premier League has sought to consolidate its rules in regards to sponsorship – most notably bringing an end to partnerships with gambling firms beyond this season – clubs are rarely short of commercial options.

According to a new GlobalData report, the collective value of sponsorship deals in the Premier League is rising. The 2024/25 campaign is predicted to bring in $1.68 billion, marking an increase of just over 12% year-on-year.

Despite eclipsing the rest of Europe’s top leagues in the biggest shirt sponsorship deals of the year, knocking La Liga’s preeminent clubs off their perch will continue to be a tall order.

Biggest Shirt Sponsorship Deals of 2024/25

10. Atletico Madrid – Riyadh Air (€40m)

The first of three La Liga sides to feature in the top 10, Atletico Madrid’s fruitful partnership with Riyadh Air is worth €40m per-season.

Despite only being founded in the early months of 2023, the Saudi airline is an axiomatic investment vehicle used by the nation’s sovereign wealth fund in order to expand their rapid growth in the European market.

Bizarrely, Riyadh Air is yet to get off the ground (excuse the pun), with commercial flights expected to become operational in 2025.

Welcome to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano!

Agreement with our main sponsor for the naming of our stadium until 2033 🏟️

➡ https://t.co/s2xlobzmSH pic.twitter.com/gmEOGmgGyV

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) October 9, 2024

Irregardless of the company being in its infancy, Atletico are unquestionably reaping the benefits of striking such a lucrative deal. Positive relations over the past season have even led to a renaming of the stadium, which now reads the ‘Riyadh Air Metropolitano’.

This expansion of the relationship will pocket Los Colchoneros an extra €3oom over a nine-year period.

9. Tottenham – AIA (€45m)

Tottenham’s long-standing partnership with insurance firm AIA reached its 10th year this season, although their renewed terms are set to end by the conclusion of next season.

Both parties have long maintained that the primary goal is to promote a healthy, active lifestyle, but the past decade or so has not been without its controversies.

Rewinding back to 2022 when a group of UK politicians urged Tottenham to sever ties with AIA over their public support of national security law in Hong Kong, which saw its resident’s freedom of expression restricted.

Despite this, Spurs continued to don AIA on the front of their shirts in what was the third year of their renewed deal, even in the face of calls from politicians to stand in solidarity of “democracy and equality.”

8. Bayern Munich – T-Mobile (€50m)

In August 2022, Bayern Munich penned a fresh shirt sponsorship deal with Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile) which runs right the way through to 2027.

The “T” logo has become synonymous with Germany’s preeminent club, with the commercial partnership spanning the better part of two decades. They are also one part of Bayern’s four long-standing sponsorship roster, alongside Audi, Allianz and Adidas.

Fans donning white raincoats sitting in the Osttribüne (East Stand) form a ‘T’ every home match – the company essentially ‘owns’ these seats and exists as a prime advertising location for those watching on at home.

The agreement also includes 5G access in the stadium and a 24-hour TV channel dedicated to Bayern.

=6. Arsenal – Fly Emirates (€60m)

The UEA’s chief flag carriers are arguably modern football’s most iconic shirt sponsor, stretching across some of Europe’s leading clubs.

Having struck up a partnership with Arsenal all the way back in 2006, Fly Emirates’ front-of-shirt deal is the longest in Premier League history.

The club benefited from a renewal of terms last summer which will see the pocket €60m per-season until 2028 – a 25% increase on the previous deal.

=6. Liverpool – Standard Chartered (€60m)

Joining Arsenal on €60m per-season is fellow Premier League club Liverpool, whose agreement with international cross-border bank Standard Chartered enters its 14th year.

Since the initial agreement way back in 2010, the value of Standard Chartered per-season sponsorship has increased by £30m, in line with Liverpool’s resurgence under Jurgen Klopp.

While success has been abundant for both parties, Standard Chartered were accused by whistleblowers earlier this year to have helped fund terrorist organisations, carrying out billions of dollars of previously undetected transactions for Iran-linked operation.

It is worth noting – in line with The Sponsor’s research – that Liverpool have the highest fair market value of any club in the Premier League at £65.8m, meaning brands who partner with the Reds can expect the most exposure.

5. Manchester City – Etihad Airways (€65m)

Etihad Airways have been a permanent fixture on Manchester City shirts since the Abu Dhabi Group’s take-over in 2009. At €65m per-season, it is second only to Manchester United’s fresh deal in English football.

Labelling the airline’s association with City as controversial would be somewhat of an understatement – perpetual legal disputes have been coupled with widespread scepticism over the legality of their finances, which have allegedly been inflated.

A 2015 US aviation industry document floated the idea that the Abu Dhabi government itself – despite City having some of the richest owners in the Premier League – was fuelling capital into the deal, rather than the airline on the front of their shirts.

This was before Manchester City were handed a two-season ban from the Champions League, along with a £30m fine, after being found guilty of hiding sponsorship payments in 2015-16.

Chief sponsors Etihad Airways were believed to have not wholly funded the annual €65m sponsorship.

This was of course overturned by the Court of Arbitration on the grounds that the accusations could not be fully established, and were time-barred.

There are no such time restrictions when it comes to Premier League investigations, amid 115 alleged financial breaches against them, in which Etihad Airways are likely to be embroiled.

4. PSG – Qatar Airways (€68.5m)

PSG’s affiliation with Qatar as a nation stretches back to their mega-money takeover back in 2011.

QSI (Qatari Sports Investments) is a state-owned investment fund that has been pumping money into the club for over a decade, but it wasn’t until 2022 that the nation’s state-owned airline became PSG’s sponsor.

The closeness of the two parties, although owned separately, has been the cause of unease in French football and beyond. Controversy has followed Qatar Airways beyond football too, with one incident seeing five female passengers subject to invasive gynaecological examinations – although they would go on to lose the legal claim.

=1. Barcelona – Spotify (€70m)

Years of gross mismanagement has left Barcelona in a fiscal noose, which returning president Joan Laporta has sought to loosen by enacting ‘economic levers’ – or to put it bluntly – stripping the club of its control over television and merchandising.

The Blaugrana have somehow managed to stay afloat, and a club of their magnitude are still able to attract commercial partners with considerable pulling power.

Most notably ditching Qatar Airways for a far more palatable name in the shape of leading music streaming platform Spotify, who have secured front-of-shirt sponsorship and naming rights for the soon-to-be-open brand new Camp Nou.

€70m per-season for the privilege is not to be sniffed at given their financial predicament, and brand recognition has been the name of the game with Spotify with the club leveraging one-off kits, such as a Drake-themed sponsor for El Clasico last season.

Drake teams up with Spotify & FC Barcelona. Barcelona will wear the OVO jersey during El Clasico on Sunday 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/9tf8tlnIKQ

— Hot Freestyle (@HotFreestyle) October 14, 2022

=1. Manchester United – SnapDragon (€70m)

TeamViewer’s short-lived front-of-shirt sponsorship ended last season, with mobile technology firm Qualcomm SnapDragon lodging a significantly improved deal to take over in 2024, seeing them at the helm for the next five years.

The company also has the right to promote brands it works with on the back of shirts.

Qualcomm have been criticised in the past for benchmark cheating – that is – claiming their chips used in mobile phones, desktops, tablets and beyond are more powerful than advertised.

=1. Real Madrid – Fly Emirates (€70m)

Completing the joint-top three biggest shirt sponsorship deals is Real Madrid, who extended their agreement with Fly Emirates to the end of this season which will complete an eight-year partnership.

The airline’s deal with Real Madrid has been a huge driving force behind their boost in revenue, which increased year-on-year by 16% upon agreeing the four-year renewal in 2022.

Madrid are perhaps football’s most iconic and globally-recognised club, so €70m per-year for the privilege seems like a fair valuation.

Whichever brand wrestles for front-of-shirt sponsorship at the end of this season, expect Madrid to leverage even more money to surpass the rest of Europe.