North American soccer’s governing body Concacaf has unveiled Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air as its official airline partner under a multi-year agreement.
As part of the deal, Riyadh Air, owned by the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), will support the confederation’s national and club competitions across North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
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Philippe Moggio, general secretary of Concacaf, said: “This partnership with Riyadh Air marks an exciting new chapter for Concacaf. Their global vision will support us in elevating all aspects of football in Concacaf, from grassroots programs to our tournaments.”
Riyadh Air, which is scheduled to start operating in 2025, has an existing partnership deal with Atletico Madrid, serving as the Spanish soccer club’s front-of-shirt sponsor and official airline partner.
The deal with Riyadh Air is part of Concacaf’s wider strategic tie-up with the PIF, announced last week.
The Saudi fund added Concacaf to an extensive list of existing sporting partners, including English Premier League soccer side Newcastle United, tennis’ ATP and WTA, and the Formula E, Extreme E, and E1 electric racing series’.
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By GlobalDataThis represents the first major entry of the PIF into North American soccer, an industry sector that is seeing its commercial appeal grow significantly as the US population embraces soccer more as a mainstream sport.
Research by GlobalData earlier this year showed that the PIF’s total spending across its five main sports of soccer, golf, motor racing, horse racing, and boxing had (at that point) exceeded $7.68 billion.
