FIFA gets $300M in World Cup hospitality deal

Posted Tuesday, November 01, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

ZURICH (AP)—FIFA announced another improved World Cup deal Tuesday after selling the rights to market corporate tickets at the 2018 and 2022 tournaments for $300 million (?219 million) to current partner MATCH Hospitality.

FIFA said it would also get a share of MATCH’s profits on high-end ticket sales for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and Qatar in 2022. The deal also covers Confederations Cup and Women’s World Cup tournaments from 2017-23.

The deal was announced days after FIFA revealed it sold $1.85 billion (?1.3 billion) in broadcast rights for 2018-2022 in the United States, Australia, Canada and the Caribbean. It previously clinched $1.7 billion (?1.2 billion) in broadcast sales covering the Middle East and parts of Asia and Latin America.

FIFA also extended its contract last week with second-tier sponsor Anheuser-Busch InBev for the Budweiser beer brand through 2022. The value was not disclosed.

MATCH paid $240 million for hospitality rights to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and 2014 event in Brazil.

It acknowledged heavy losses in South Africa, reported to be almost $50 million, but predicted returning to profit in Brazil.

“MATCH Hospitality delivered a successful hospitality programme in 2010 despite the very challenging economic situation influencing this particular industry at the time,” FIFA’s marketing director Thierry Weil said in a statement. “FIFA has renewed and extended with a company and partner that brings together the most experienced team in the hospitality industry.”

The company licenses sales to agents who have exclusive rights in national markets.

MATCH Hospitality is majority owned by England-based brothers Jaime and Enrique Byrom from Mexico, who have sold World Cup tickets for FIFA since the 1980s.

Shareholders include Japanese advertising agency Dentsu and Swiss marketing agency Infront Sports and Media, whose president and chief executive Philippe Blatter is a nephew of FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

FIFA said last week that it chose Infront after a tendering process to handle World Cup broadcast sales across 26 Asian territories including China, India and Indonesia.