Airbnb gets into bed with Fifa with last-minute Club World Cup deal
Fifa has signed up Airbnb as a last-minute commercial partner for the Club World Cup, which starts tomorrow in the US.
Airbnb will offer “official fan accommodation” as part of a three-year deal with Fifa that also includes next summer’s men’s World Cup, which the US is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, and the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
“The World Cup brings the world together – and so do we,” said Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky.
Starting with the Club World Cup, the accommodation marketplace is incorporating football-themed activities such as a training session with former USA, Manchester United and Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard, into its Airbnb Experiences offering.
“Airbnb is proud to collaborate with Fifa to offer fans once-in-a-lifetime experiences during the tournaments, while welcoming hundreds of thousands of guests during the Fifa World Cup 26 and producing a meaningful economic impact for local communities,” Chesky added.
Airbnb has a growing presence in sport, having been an Olympic sponsor since 2019 and, starting this year, a partner of the Tour de France. It comes amid a boom in sport-related tourism, which now accounts for 10 per cent of all tourism spending.
Fifa bats away Club World Cup ticket concerns
It is the ninth official partner of the revamped Club World Cup, which has been overhauled to become a 32-team tournament taking place every four years.
It joins Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and global brands Visa, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Hisense, Lenovo, Budweiser and Qatar Airways in supporting Fifa.
“We’re delighted to welcome Airbnb to Fifa, and we’re thrilled that it is taking on such a key role in the three groundbreaking tournaments coming up,” said the governing body’s president Gianni Infantino.
Preparations for the Club World Cup have faced multiple headwinds, from pushback by player unions concerned at additional workload to a sluggish ticket market caused by high prices and fan apathy, and challenging media rights and sponsorship sales.
The last of those has at least been resolved with a flurry of late deals, some with existing Fifa partners such as Coca-Cola, Visa and Budweiser, while streaming platform Dazn solved the broadcasting conundrum by paying $1m for global rights.
Ticket sales remain a concern ahead of Saturday’s opening match between Inter Miami and Al Ahly of Egypt and have forced Fifa to slash prices, although Infantino is putting on a brave face.
“In terms of inclusivity, in terms of economy, in terms of fan interest, you take all of these criteria – we’ll speak again at the end of the club World Cup, but already now – I [feel positive], when I look at the number of tickets sold, and I look at the TV rights,” he said.