European football’s sponsorship market continues to expand, reinforcing the strategic importance of commercial partnerships within the game’s economic model. According to the latest market overview by the European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the European sponsorship sector reached €34.5 billion in 2025, representing a 4.7% year-on-year increase. Sport accounted for 72% of the total market, while football alone generated more than €13 billion in sponsorship value.
A significant share of this activity is concentrated within the “Big Five” leagues of England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. Based on ESA data, these countries generated €12.5 billion in sport sponsorship revenue in 2025. As of April 2026, all 96 clubs across the five leagues now have at least one main shirt sponsor.
The market also continues to evolve, with new sponsor categories entering football and the international nature of sponsorship agreements across the “Big Five” leagues becoming increasingly evident. Regulatory developments are also set to reshape parts of the landscape, most notably in the Premier League, where clubs will no longer be permitted to feature betting brands as front-of-shirt sponsors from the 2026/27 season onwards following a league-wide ban.
In this article, we look at the current sponsorship landscape across the “Big Five” leagues, focusing on kit suppliers and main shirt sponsors as the 2025/26 season approaches its conclusion. The analysis explores the structure of the market, the leading commercial categories, and the evolving dynamics shaping football’s most prominent sponsorship assets.
Kit suppliers and the concentration of the technical sponsorship market
The “Big Five” kit supplier market has historically been dominated by adidas, Nike and Puma. This remains the case today: together, the three brands supply more than half of the 96 clubs across the five leagues and are responsible for all ten of the most lucrative kit deals by reported annual value. Beyond this trio, Macron and Joma also maintain significant visibility, particularly outside the very top tier of clubs.
Behind the major global brands, however, the market is highly competitive and fragmented. A group of 10-15 smaller suppliers operate across the “Big Five” leagues, typically targeting mid-table and smaller clubs. Competition is intense not only on price but also on design quality, production capacity, delivery cycles, and the flexibility of commercial terms.
Kit supplier agreements are generally long-term partnerships. More than one-third of “Big Five” clubs currently have contracts running until at least 2030, while the average deal length stands at 5.2 years.
At the top of the market, the scale of these agreements is substantial. The ten largest active kit supplier deals, excluding variable components, are all worth more than €50 million annually, while FC Barcelona, Real Madrid CF, Manchester City FC and Manchester United FC each generate reported annual values above €100 million. All ten clubs in this elite group have active contracts running until at least 2030, while five of them, including Juventus FC through their already agreed future adidas extension until 2037, are contractually covered until at least 2035.
The dominance of adidas and Nike is especially visible at this level. Adidas accounts for five of the top ten deals, Nike for four, while Puma is also represented through its agreement with Manchester City FC. However, the relative importance of the kit supplier agreement differs significantly by club. For Chelsea FC, Juventus FC, Arsenal FC and Manchester City FC, the partnership represents close to 30% of their latest available (2024/25) commercial revenues. By contrast, clubs such as FC Bayern München, Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC are less dependent on this asset, with their kit supplier deals accounting for 14.1%, 18.2% and 19.2% of commercial revenues, respectively.
Main shirt sponsors and the evolving landscape
April 2026 marked a milestone in the main shirt sponsor market. Following SS Lazio’s fresh agreement with prediction markets firm Polymarket, all 96 clubs across the “Big Five” leagues currently have at least one main shirt sponsor. In practice, the market is more complex than a one-club, one-brand model: ten clubs currently have multiple main shirt sponsors, either by displaying several brands on the shirt or by using different partners across competitions or fixtures.
The industry composition of the main shirt sponsor market is notably diverse. Nearly 20 sectors are represented across the 96 clubs. Financial services, gambling and gaming, and transportation, travel and tourism are the most prominent categories, each accounting for more than ten deals. Together, these three industries represent 42% of the main shirt sponsor market across the “Big Five”.
Within these categories, several patterns stand out. Gambling and gaming is still largely driven by betting companies, while transportation, travel and tourism is heavily influenced by airline partnerships. The Middle Eastern quartet of Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Riyadh Air currently sponsor eight clubs in total, demonstrating the continued strategic importance of football for global aviation brands.
The market is also international in nature. Out of 108 main shirt sponsor agreements currently in place in the “Big Five”, only 58 are with domestic partners, meaning that almost half involve foreign companies. In the Premier League, all main shirt sponsors are foreign entities. This underlines the global reach of European clubs and the value of the “Big Five” leagues as international marketing platforms.
Although kit supplier agreements are generally more lucrative at the very top of the market, main shirt sponsors remains highly significant. Among the ten largest active front-of-shirt deals, eight exceed €50 million per year, with half of the top ten deals currently held by airlines.
Yet, as with kit suppliers, the relative importance of these agreements varies. Atlético de Madrid’s partnership with Riyadh Air accounts for almost one-quarter of the club’s total commercial revenues, while FC Barcelona’s agreement represents just 11.1%. Three other clubs in the top ten also sit below the 15% threshold.
Main shirt sponsor contracts are typically shorter than kit supplier agreements. Across the “Big Five”, the average deal length is slightly below three years. At the top of the market, however, stability is greater, with all clubs in the top ten having agreements of at least four years. For small and medium-sized clubs, by contrast, one- or two-year deals remain common. This lack of long-term stability is particularly relevant ahead of the 2026/27 season, with 54% of “Big Five” clubs yet to publicly announce a main shirt sponsor agreement for next year as of the end of April.
Premier League betting ban and its market implications
The importance of betting and gaming within football’s sponsorship ecosystem is particularly evident in the Premier League, where betting companies have become one of the most prominent sponsor categories in recent years, especially among clubs outside the league’s highest commercial tier.
This landscape is now set for significant change. From the 2026/27 season onwards, Premier League clubs will no longer be permitted to feature betting companies as main shirt sponsors following a league-wide ban agreed in 2023. The decision was introduced amid growing political and public scrutiny surrounding gambling advertising in football, particularly regarding visibility to children and vulnerable groups.
The timing is especially relevant within the current sponsorship cycle. While late-stage sponsor announcements are common across football, the number of clubs still without a confirmed shirt partner for the 2026/27 season has been amplified by the upcoming regulatory change.
As of the end of April, ten current Premier League clubs had yet to publicly confirm a main shirt sponsor for next season, including eight of the eleven clubs whose 2025/26 front-of-shirt partners came from the betting industry.
Industry reports suggest that several small and mid-sized Premier League clubs could face reductions in annual sponsorship revenues following the ban, potentially widening the commercial gap between the so-called “Big Six” and the rest of the league.
At the same time, the ban creates new opportunities. Brands from other sectors could now gain access at lower fees to one of world football’s most visible sponsorship assets, potentially at a lower price point than before. This could attract new entrants into the Premier League and increase category diversity across the competition. This could bring more distinctive activations, stronger above-the-line campaigns and fresh commercial narratives.
As a comparison, regulatory environments differ elsewhere in the “Big Five”. Spain has banned gambling sponsors from shirts, while Italy also restricts betting advertising, although non-betting products linked to gambling brands may still appear on shirts. Germany and France remain more permissive, with licensed gambling operators allowed to appear on the front of match jerseys.
Clubs continue to maximise sponsorship value
European football sponsorship continues to grow, with clubs across the “Big Five” leagues further maximising the value of their most prominent commercial assets. As the 2025/26 season draws to a close, all 96 clubs across the five leagues currently have both a kit supplier and at least one main shirt sponsor in place. Yet despite the maturity of the market, a significant share of clubs still need to secure new front-of-shirt agreements ahead of next season.
The Premier League betting ban from jersey fronts will be one of the key market tests of the coming year. While it may reduce revenues for some clubs, it also opens the door for emerging sponsor industries, including the likes of crypto, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, luxury goods and prediction markets, which can have an impact beyond England. Still, the entry of new industries into the market also brings inherent risks, as illustrated by several recent crypto-related partnerships that were terminated shortly after their launch.
Betting brands, meanwhile, are unlikely to disappear from football. In the Premier League, their visibility may shift towards sleeve sponsorships, secondary shirt assets and other partnership categories. For instance, Betway is set to become the training kit sponsor of Manchester United FC from next season. The landscape is shifting but the commercial importance of football’s prime sponsorship assets is likely to remain on an upward trajectory.
Football Benchmark’s Club Finance & Operations platform includes a continuously updated database of sponsorship agreements across the “Big Five” leagues and other major competitions. Users can access and benchmark thousands of deals, including main shirt sponsors, kit suppliers, sleeve partners and stadium naming rights, with search functionality across industry, country, league, brand, timeframe, deal type and, where available, reported value. Football Benchmark also supports rights-holders and brands with sponsorship valuation services, helping stakeholders assess the fair value of football sponsorship assets.
