It is no surprise that Brazilian football teams attract a lot of attention from sponsors. To confirm this, just look at the jerseys of the teams in the field in the Serie A and B of the Brazilian Championship.
Despite the large number of names that appear there, master sponsorships only cover four economic segments, according to the survey conducted by Forbes.
Among the 20 teams competing in Serie A, sports betting companies are responsible for 75% of their master sponsorships, following the growth trend of this sector in the sports market.
"The entry of funds from sports betting companies into Brazilian football is a way to strengthen the country's main sport. The amounts, which are getting bigger and more significant, increase the economic power of the teams. As a consequence, more money can be invested in improving infrastructure, acquiring new athletes, and indirectly in youth categories," explains Ricardo Bianco Rosada, founder of the consultancy brmkt.co.
Some of the current contracts are the largest in the history of the clubs, such as teams like Corinthians, Flamengo, Bahia, Juventude, and Fortaleza, among others.
For the CEO of Fortaleza's SAF, Marcelo Paz, the contract with Novibet, made in 2023, placed the club on the same level as other top teams in the region in terms of master sponsorship.
"In recent years, the club has been gaining great credibility nationally, both due to sports results and the performance of the fans, and this allowed us to sign such an important contract," notes Paz.
In the case of Juventude, the agreement with the international betting house Stake came after the promotion to Serie A and promises to be a great reinforcement for the team to meet the goals set for 2024.
"The relevance and credibility of Juventude at the national level was what enabled this partnership. Sponsorship agreements with major brands in the market strengthen the team and improve prospects for the season, both on and off the field," says Bruno Zaballa, vice president of marketing at Juventude.
The second most representative segment in the teams' advertisements is the financial sector, appearing in 15% of them, represented by teams such as Palmeiras (Crefisa), Grêmio (Banrisul), and Internacional (Banrisul).
These companies have a wide market to conquer. In 2023 alone, the revenue of 31 of the 40 clubs that make up the Serie A and B reached R$ 11.1 billion (US$ 2.15bn), according to the annual survey conducted by EY. The amount is 39% higher than that recorded in 2022. Of this total, R$ 1.4 billion (US$ 270m) came from the commercial area, which includes sponsorships.
According to the survey, the top five clubs in the Brasileirão accounted for 52% of the amount collected from commercial contracts. Of this total, Flamengo earned R$ 242 million (US$ 46m), Palmeiras had a revenue of R$ 165 million (US$ 31m), and Corinthians reached R$ 137 million (US$ 26m) Bahia and Botafogo increased this source of revenue by more than 100% compared to the previous year.
Source: Forbes
