German soccer champions Bayern Munich have confirmed a second-tier partnership with Emirates after the airline reportedly missed out on a deal to sponsor the Bundesliga club’s shirts.
Contract:
- Emirates will be a platinum partner of Bayern Munich until the end of the 2031/32 season
- Agreement reportedly worth €5 million (US$5.8 million) per year, according to German newspaper Bild
- Contract includes perimeter advertising at the Allianz Arena and joint activations across social media and digital channels
Context:
Emirates has ultimately settled for a partnership in one of Bayern’s lower sponsorship tiers after it reportedly pushed to replace Deutsche Telekom as the team’s front-of-shirt sponsor.
Though a new deal is yet to be announced, Bild reported in June that Bayern were close to finalising an extension with the German telecommunications company worth €65 million (US$75 million) per season – the same amount Emirates was reportedly willing to pay to take over the inventory.
Emirates is the first airline to sponsor Bayern since the departure of its regional rival Qatar Airways, which ended its relationship with the club in 2023 by mutual consent.
That deal, which was reportedly worth €20 million (US$21.8 million) per year and saw the airline feature on the team’s sleeves, had attracted strong criticism from the Bayern fanbase due to Qatar’s human rights record.
As a platinum partner, Emirates will sit in Bayern’s second sponsorship tier, which is the one below its main partnerships with Deutsche Telekom, Adidas, Allianz and Audi.
The club’s other platinum partners are Betano, Bitpanda, EA Sports, Einhell, Paulaner, Visit Rwanda, Schwarz Digits, Viessmann and Volksbank.
Emirates already has a strong presence in European soccer as the shirt sponsor of Real Madrid, Arsenal, AC Milan, Benfica and Olympique Lyonnais.
Comment:
Michael Diederich, Bayern’s deputy chairman, said: “FC Bayern is very pleased to have gained a strong and shining partner in Emirates, which has been a committed supporter of club football in Europe for decades. FC Bayern also needs financial planning security to achieve its sporting goals, so Emirates is an ideal fit for our club’s family of partners. It will also help us that Emirates connects football fans around the world and can support FC Bayern in its internationalisation plans.“
“We are immensely proud to partner with FC Bayern – Germany’s most iconic football club and a true global sporting giant,” added Emirates president Tim Clark. “This landmark partnership represents far more than a commercial agreement; it embodies our deep commitment to Germany, which stands as a cornerstone of our European network.”
Coming next:
The announcement of Emirates’ platinum partnership would suggest that confirmation of Deutsche Telekom’s extension as Bayern’s main shirt partner is forthcoming. However, it is unclear if the deal will be unveiled before the new Bundesliga season, which kicks off on 22nd August.
Credit: https://www.sportspro.com/news/bayern-munich-emirates-sponsorship-deutsche-telekom-august-2025/
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