From fuelling the excitement of football and the thrills of Formula 1 racing to supporting cricketing action globally, Aramco’s support to sports underscores a broader vision of integrating its brand with the universal appeal of sports and enhancing its global presence

In recent years, Aramco has emerged as a prominent force not just in the energy sector, but also in the global sports arena.

With its strategic investments and sponsorships, Aramco is redefining its role beyond oil and gas, aligning itself with some of the world’s most prestigious sporting events. This focus highlights the company's commitment to fostering international partnerships and enhancing its global presence.

From fueling the excitement of FIFA World Cup tournaments and powering the high-octane thrills of Formula 1 racing to supporting the dynamic action of international cricket, Aramco’s involvement underscores a broader vision of integrating its brand with the universal appeal of sports.

As the company continues to champion these major sporting events, it not only elevates its own profile but also contributes to the global dialogue on innovation, sustainability, and shared experiences in the world of sports.

Supporting cricket ... Aramco logo is seen at an ICC World Cup match

In April this year, Aramco signed a four-year global partnership with professional football association FIFA. The company became FIFA’s Major Worldwide Partner exclusive in the energy category, with sponsorship rights for multiple events including the highly-anticipated FIFA World Cup 26 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.

The agreement, which runs until the end of 2027, builds on a shared commitment to innovation and development, and will combine football’s unique global reach with Aramco’s history of championing innovation and community engagement. Through the partnership Aramco and FIFA intend to leverage the power of football to create impactful social initiatives around the world.

Amin H Nasser, Aramco President & CEO, said: "Through this partnership with FIFA we aim to contribute to football development and harness the power of sport to make an impact around the globe. It reflects our ambition to enable vibrant communities and extends our backing of sport as a platform for growth. Our existing relationship with the Saudi football team Al-Qadsiah, our support for women’s golf through the Aramco Team Series, and our backing of F1 in Schools each demonstrate the possibilities of such partnerships to create pathways for opportunity, positively impact society and promote development at the grassroots level."

Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, said: "We are delighted to welcome Aramco to FIFA’s family of global partners. This partnership will assist FIFA to successfully deliver its flagship tournaments over the next four years and, as is the case with all our commercial agreements, enable us to provide enhanced support to our 211 FIFA member associations across the globe. Aramco has a strong track record of supporting world-class events, but also a focus on developing grassroots sport initiatives. We look forward to collaborating with them on a variety of initiatives over the coming years."

Aramco also intends to work with FIFA to drive innovation, identifying opportunities to deploy the Company’s expertise and technologies in the delivery of football events globally. This includes initiatives that aim to provide new and innovative ways for football fans to engage with FIFA’s events.

Meanwhile, Aramco and Aston Martin Formula One Team have signed a long-term extension of their partnership. From January 1, 2024, the Silverstone-based team is known as the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team.

From 2026, Aramco intends to provide best-in-class technology to deliver advanced fuels and lubricants to the team, alongside the team’s new works power unit engine partnership with Honda.

Nabeel Al-Jama’, Aramco Executive Vice-President Human Resources & Corporate Services, said: "We are delighted to extend our partnership and become the exclusive title partner of the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team. Since partnering with the team in 2022, we have witnessed the team take significant strides forward and have enjoyed celebrating some very special moments, including eight podiums this season. The future for the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team is bright, and today’s news reaffirms our long-term commitment to Aston Martin where Aramco’s expertise and technology can contribute to advanced car performance, especially with our development of advanced fuels and lubricants."

Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team Executive Chairman, said: "We are very proud to continue and strengthen our successful partnership with Aramco. We already enjoy an important strategic relationship and their support as our title partner for the next five years is a clear demonstration of our shared ambition. Since 2022, they have played a key role in Aston Martin’s Formula One journey and their contribution will only become more significant in the years ahead. We are working together on several key initiatives, including the development of advanced fuels for 2026, when we begin our Honda works power unit partnership. Aramco’s expertise and products will make a real contribution to our on-track performance and add significant value in many other areas of our organization, especially at our new AMR Technology Campus."

Together, Aramco and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team will work on joint science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiatives to inspire the young technicians, engineers and drivers of the future.

CRICKET

Aramco and the International Cricket Council (ICC) have announced a four-year extension to their global partnership.

Following a successful initial 18-month term, Aramco will continue as a Premier Partner of the ICC and the partnership will include all men’s and women’s senior and U19s events scheduled until the end of 2027. This included the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in West Indies and USA (held in June this year) and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October.

The themes at the core of the partnership are performance with a focus to engage a younger audience of cricket’s one billion fanbase, as the company expands its mission to deliver affordable, reliable and more sustainable energy to customers around the world.

The partnership to date has seen the impactful delivery of the Aramco Player of the Match, with the Aramco Player of the Tournament and Aramco Power Performances assets launched from 2024. Each of these celebrate elite performances at ICC events and will continue over the next four years. Through the ICC’s Hospitality platform Aramco will use the programme to drive business objectives.

Khalid Al-Zamil, Aramco Vice-President Public Affairs. said: "I am thrilled with the extension of our partnership with the International Cricket Council for another four years. Cricket transcends boundaries, uniting millions around the globe, similar to Aramco's commitment to fostering collaboration and excellence. We aim to continue supporting the growth of cricket through our key assets and bringing people together through the spirit of sport."

By Sree Bhat