May 14 – Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) was on Thursday named an official tournament supporter in North America and Asia for this year’s World Cup, as the country deepens its ties with international football ahead of hosting the 2034 tournament.
The 2026 World Cup – the first edition of the global showpiece to feature 48 teams – will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
The partnership includes support for initiatives worldwide, spanning grassroots programmes, youth and women’s football, education projects, and efforts to enhance infrastructure and technical expertise, PIF and FIFA said.
No financial details or specific activations were disclosed.
The deal builds on PIF’s partnership with FIFA for the Club World Cup 2025 and highlights the fund’s deepening commercial ties with global football ahead of Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 World Cup.
“PIF continues to accelerate the growth of football globally by expanding access to the game and creating opportunities that benefit players, fans and the wider football ecosystem,” said Mohamed AlSayyad, Head of Corporate Brand at PIF, in a statement.
PIF, which has spent more than $5 billion on LIV Golf since it launched in 2022, said last month that it would cut funding at the close of the 2026 season, leaving the breakaway circuit scrambling for new backers.
The sovereign wealth fund, chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is involved in several other sports. Critics have accused the country of engaging in “sportswashing” over its human rights record.
In its statement announcing it was cutting funding to LIV Golf, PIF added that it remained committed to deploying capital internationally in line with its investment strategy, “including current and future investments in various sports as a priority sector.”
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru;)
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