Emirates has today announced an agreement which will see it as the Official Partner and Airline for the ninth edition of the West Asian Football Federation Championship, taking place in Erbil and Karbala, Iraq from 2-14 August 2019.  The deal demonstrates Emirates’ ongoing commitment to supporting football and connecting with fans across the region.

The West Asian Football Federation is one of the four regional governing bodies of the Asian Football Confederation, and consists of nine member nations in Western Asia. This year, eight national teams including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen will be competing for the title. The 2019 edition of the tournament will also be a milestone first staging of the event in Iraq, and the first time in 30 years that Iraq hosts a regional event of this kind.

Tariq Al Mutawa, Manager of Kuwait and Iraq for Emirates said: “Our partnership with the West Asian Football Federation Championship is an opportunity to connect with football fans in Iraq and across the region who will be supporting their national teams. As the most popular sport in the world, football continues to reach more fans each year, and is the best platform to enable the Emirates brand to gain visibility and continue to grow in this region and beyond.”

The sponsorship deal gives Emirates brand visibility at each match venue with on-site stadium advertising starting on 2 August. The airline will also have strong brand presence across print and TV platforms, with the event being broadcasted live across 16 channels in the region.  Additionally, Emirates will benefit from digital and social media activation rights on the West Asian Football Federation platforms.

Emirates’ sponsorship portfolio is made of top sporting clubs, tournaments and high profile cultural events worldwide. Football remains one of the most celebrated sports within Emirates’ sponsorship portfolio. This is demonstrated through on-going partnerships with some of the biggest names in club football,  including shirt sponsors of leading European and international clubs like AC Milan, Real Madrid, Hamburger SV, Benfica SL and Arsenal in a deal which includes naming rights to Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Emirates is the Official Airline of Greek club, Olympiacos. The airline is also Title Sponsor of The Emirates FA Cup.

Emirates is also the Official Airline and Partner of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the governing body of Asian football, and has sponsorship rights to all its tournaments, including the AFC Champions League, AFC Cup and the AFC Challenge Cup, as well as a number of women’s and youth events.