No. 02Friday 2 October 2026Stories from 26 September to 2 October

Generali replaces BMW as the Berlin Marathon’s title sponsor

Also this week: Brazil's betting ban leaves 14 Série A shirts to resell, SOCAR signs with Italy's national teams, Red Bull returns to Honda in MotoGP, and Alibaba becomes the Nets' jersey sponsor while its chairman owns the team.

Footage: Americo Vermelho on Pexels. Stock, not from any story in this issue.

Europe

5 stories

01 · Athletics1 Oct

Generali replaces BMW as the Berlin Marathon’s title sponsor

Generali Deutschland becomes title partner of the Berlin Marathon, which runs as the Generali Berlin-Marathon on 26 September 2027. It ends BMW's 16 years as title sponsor of one of the seven World Marathon Majors. Generali has named the Berlin Half Marathon since 2019 and signed as a marathon co-sponsor in August 2024. Neither side has disclosed the length of the deal or the fee.

First race: 26 Sep 2027
Replaces: BMW

Why it matters

Generali worked its way up from the half marathon to co-sponsor to the name on the main race. When a title partner leaves, the co-sponsors already on site are the first call.

Generali Berlin-Marathon Marathon Handbook

02 · Football27 Sep

SOCAR signs as Global Energy Partner of Italy's national teams

SOCAR, Azerbaijan's state oil company, becomes Global Energy Partner of Italy's men's and women's national teams from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2030, with an option for two more years to 2032. The deal was signed at the Azerbaijan International Investment Forum. No fee was disclosed.

From: 1 Jan 2027
To: 31 Dec 2030
Option to: 2032

Why it matters

SOCAR owns Italiana Petroli, so the Azzurri deal promotes a fuel brand with forecourts across Italy as well as a country.

FIGC

03 · MotoGP1 Oct

Red Bull returns to Honda's MotoGP team from 2027

Honda has confirmed Red Bull as a sponsor of its factory MotoGP team from 2027 on a multi-year deal. The return lines up with MotoGP's new 850cc rules, which start the same season. Neither the length nor the fee was disclosed.

Why it matters

A rule change is the natural moment to sign: the sponsor's name goes on a new bike from its first race.

Motorsport.com

04 · Table tennis28 Sep

Infront takes table tennis's global marketing rights until 2034

The ITTF and World Table Tennis have appointed Infront as worldwide lead agency for their marketing rights in an eight-year agreement running until 2034. Infront will sell global partners and event presenting partners across the WTT series. The ITTF World Championships join once existing commercial commitments end.

Length: 8 years
Until: 2034

Why it matters

Brands buying into table tennis will deal with one agency for most of the sport's top events until 2034.

Infront

05 · Motor racing29 Sep

Edward Jones joins McLaren in Formula 1 and at the Indianapolis 500

Edward Jones becomes Official Private Wealth Management Partner of McLaren Racing on a multi-year deal. Its Formula 1 activation starts now, and from 2027 it is primary partner on the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet at the 111th Indianapolis 500 and selected other races. No fee was disclosed.

Why it matters

The IndyCar side carries the weight: primary partner on an Indianapolis 500 entry, in front of the US audience Edward Jones sells to.

PR Newswire

US

4 stories

06 · Basketball28 Sep

Bloom Energy replaces Crypto.com on the 76ers' jersey

Bloom Energy, the fuel-cell company, is the Philadelphia 76ers' new jersey patch partner on a multi-year deal that includes a seven-figure community investment and the shirt of the G League's Delaware Blue Coats. It replaces Crypto.com, the patch sponsor since 2021, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported the deal is worth north of eight figures annually.

Why it matters

A crypto exchange bought this patch in 2021. It has now gone to a company that sells on-site power to data centres.

Bloom Energy

07 · Basketball28 Sep

Alibaba becomes the Nets' jersey sponsor, and its chairman owns the team

Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment has named Alibaba Group the Brooklyn Nets' Official Jersey Patch Partner and an Official Technology and Cloud Partner on a multi-year deal. Alibaba will run a Real-Time 360 Replay system at Barclays Center from the 2026-27 season. Nets owner Joe Tsai is Alibaba's chairman. No fee was disclosed.

Alibaba and BSE release

08 · Drag racing30 Sep

NHRA splits its season between FOX and The CW from 2027

NHRA has signed multi-year media deals with FOX Sports, The CW and FloSports from 2027. FOX takes the first 13 races, The CW the final seven, including the U.S. Nationals and the six-race Countdown to the Championship, and FloRacing streams qualifying and Sunday eliminations on a five-year deal. NHRA says the deals reach more than 125 million households.

FOX: 13 races
The CW: 7 races

Why it matters

The CW gets the end of the season, playoff included, which is the stretch a series sponsor most wants on air.

NHRA

09 · College sports28 Sep

Two credit unions purchase college venue naming rights

GECU has given $29.1 million to UTEP Athletics, the largest gift the department has ever had, and UTEP's arena becomes GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center for 15 years. In Houston, Rice Stadium becomes First Community Stadium under a 20-year partnership with First Community Credit Union, from the 3 October home game.

GECU gift: $29.1m
UTEP term: 15 years
Rice term: 20 years

Why it matters

Both buyers are local credit unions, and both deals run 15 years or more. College venues are selling to the local lenders their fans already use.

UTEP KPRC 2 (Rice)

Rest of world

3 stories

10 · Football29 Sep

Brazil's betting ban leaves 14 Série A shirts to resell

A provisional measure published on 25 September bans betting companies from operating in Brazil, and 14 of the 20 Série A clubs carry one as master sponsor, Placar reports. Clubs have until 5 October to remove the logos, and Flamengo has challenged the measure in Brazil's Supreme Court. In Minas Gerais, the state government has stepped in: state companies Cemig, Codemge and Codemig will pay R$ 32 milhões, with R$ 15 milhões each to Atlético and Cruzeiro and R$ 2 milhões to América.

Clubs affected: 14 of 20
Logo deadline: 5 October
Minas Gerais: R$ 32 milhões

Why it matters

The first money to replace the bookmakers is public money, from state-owned companies, for one year. The rest of the league is selling the same asset in the same week, which makes it a good week to be a buyer.

Placar O Tempo Itatiaia

11 · Golf28 Sep

Golf Saudi ends its women's series and keeps one London event

Golf Saudi's PIF Global Series will end after the 2026 season, after 29 tournaments across three continents since 2021. From 2027 Golf Saudi backs The Championship in London, co-sanctioned by the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour, with a $4 million prize fund on 19 to 25 July 2027, and signs a multi-year partnership with the LET's Order of Merit.

Series events: 29 since 2021
London purse: $4 million

Why it matters

Saudi money is still in women's golf, in fewer places. Tours that built calendars around the series now have dates to sell.

GolfMagic The Irish Times Yahoo Sports

12 · Cricket and football26 Sep

India's governing body for cricket and the Indian Super League both secure title sponsors

The BCCI has named Muthoot FinCorp title sponsor of India home cricket through March 2028, covering home internationals and the BCCI's domestic tournaments. The Indian Super League has named JSW MG Motor India title sponsor for 2026-27, and becomes the MG Indian Super League when the season starts on 10 October. Neither fee has been confirmed by the parties.

Why it matters

A title right puts the brand in every broadcast mention of the competition, which is why brands chasing India's mass market keep buying them.

BCCI The Bridge (ISL)

The read

This week kept asking who really pays for the shirt

In Brooklyn, the Nets' new jersey patch belongs to Alibaba, whose chairman Joe Tsai owns the team. In Brazil, where a betting ban takes bookmakers off 14 Série A shirts, the first replacement money for three Minas Gerais clubs comes from state-owned companies. Last week, Messi's hotel brand took the front of the shirt at the club he had just bought.

Shirts now carry owner money, state money and arm's-length money side by side. A rights holder pricing a deal with a related party should expect buyers, leagues and regulators to test that price.

Smaller moves

The rest of the week, one line each

Europe

The FIA and the ACO extend their joint promotion of the World Endurance Championship by ten years, to the end of the 2037 season.
FIA
Winamax extends its title partnership with EHF Marketing through 2027/28, covering the EHF Finals in Hamburg and the European League Men knockout rounds.
EHF
Topps, a Chelsea partner since 2018, becomes the club's exclusive Official Trading Card Partner for the men's and women's teams on a long-term deal.
Sportcal
Champagne PIAFF becomes an Official Partner of Chelsea FC Women for 2026-27, with its own hospitality space at Stamford Bridge.
SportsMint Media
Brains returns to Cardiff Arms Park as Cardiff Rugby's official ale partner on a three-year deal, eight years after its beer was last served there.
Cardiff Rugby
Factorial becomes a Platin Partner and the official Enterprise AI Partner of FC Bayern Basketball, and front-of-shirt sponsor of its second team.
Factorial (presseportal)
Castell Howell Foods joins the Football Association of Wales as Official Food Wholesale Partner on a long-term deal.
FAW
Celta Vigo sign the seafood trade body Conxemar for seven years, to 2033, including one of the largest hospitality areas in the new Gol stand.
RC Celta
Stena Line extends its Stranraer shirt deal into a 39th consecutive season, described as the longest-running shirt sponsorship in British professional football.
UK Sponsorship News
eToro extends its Prem Rugby partnership, which began in 2023, into a fourth season.
City A.M.
Zalando joins the Valencia Marathon as an official sponsor for the 6 December race, with a fan zone between kilometres 35 and 37.
Valencia Ciudad del Running
Konami extends its deal as the France national team's official football video game partner.
Sportcal

Paze replaces PayPal as the Phoenix Suns' jersey patch partner on a multi-year deal from 2026-27.
Arizona's Family
Adobe becomes an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner of the NHL from the 2026-27 season.
Adobe
Intuit extends its NFL partnership through 2030 and adds rights in Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
The Globe and Mail
Black Box Wines becomes the first Official Wine of the NHL on a multiyear US deal.
NHL.com
Trane Technologies becomes a Cornerstone Partner of Bank of America Stadium and the climate technology partner of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC.
Carolina Panthers
Doppel signs its first NFL deal as the San Francisco 49ers' Official Social Engineering Defense Partner.
Doppel
Hockey Night in Canada carries eight primetime PWHL games on CBC from 5 December.
CBC Media Centre
Altana, an AI network for global trade, becomes the first jersey sponsor of Gonzaga men's basketball.
Learfield
ESPN extends its US media rights for TGL presented by SoFi, whose 2027 season opens on 27 December with seven teams.
ESPN Press Room
KNOX Hydration signs a five-year partnership with the Miami HEAT as it enters the US market.
PR Newswire
CWENCH Hydration becomes the Toronto Maple Leafs' Official Sports Drink on a three-year deal.
Cizzle Brands release
WNBA Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles signs with adidas Basketball.
Forbes via Yahoo Sports

Rest of world

OpenAI signs a multi-year partnership with Sachin Tendulkar to help more people in India use ChatGPT.
OpenAI release
Amstel renews with CONMEBOL after ten years on the Libertadores and widens the deal to four club competitions.
Meio & Mensagem
Aldar becomes title partner of the Abu Dhabi Championship, which opens the DP World Tour Play-Offs on 5 to 8 November.
DP World Tour
Zain is hosting partner of the Saudi Super Cup, played in Kuwait for the first time in December.
Kuwait Times
Chicken Treat is back on the front of Perth Glory's shirt for 2026/27, having last appeared there from 1996 to 1998.
Perth Glory
Geely signs a three-year deal as New Zealand Rugby League's first official automotive partner.
NZRL
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners goes on the sleeves of the PNG Chiefs as premier partner, ahead of the club's NRL debut in 2028.
NRL PNG
Venum becomes official apparel partner of ONE Championship from 1 October, and glove partner for ONE SAMURAI in Japan.
ONE Championship
Tusker commits KSh14 million to the Safari Sevens in Nairobi on 9 to 11 October.
Kenya Rugby Union
Hima Cement signs a two-year, UGX 250 million partnership with Makerere University's Impis Rugby Club.
NTV Uganda
Banamex becomes naming partner of Mexico's winter baseball league, now the Liga Mexicana del Pacífico Banamex.
Punto MX
STC Bank activates Visa's LALIGA partnership exclusively in Saudi Arabia.
Al Eqtisadiah

Reported, not confirmed

These were reported this week, but the parties have not confirmed them, so they sit apart from the stories above.

AC Milan are reported to be in advanced talks to bring adidas back as kit supplier from 2028-29, when Puma's deal expires.
Calcio e Finanza
Escort platform Fatal Model is reported to have offered R$ 120 milhões for one season on Corinthians' shirt, replacing betting firm Esportes da Sorte. No deal is signed.
Inside World Football
Barcelona are reported to be planning a VIP seat licence scheme to raise €700 million for the Espai Barça project.
Sportcal
The New York Islanders are reported to be selling a 15% stake at a $3 billion valuation,, per Sportico.
740 The Fan

Where these came from

We found every story in this issue in CRED.

CRED tracks who sponsors what across sport, from the Champions League down to a club rugby side’s shirt. The deal room shows the running product: the questions a sponsorship team asks every week, and how CRED answers them.

See how CRED works data-room.credplatform.com