26 October: Financial services have become the dominant shirt sponsorship sector in Europe’s big five leagues, while betting brands displaced from Premier League shirt fronts have just reappeared on sleeves, according to Football Benchmark’s latest sponsorship analysis.
The financial firms now have 21 shirt deals across the Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1, compared to 15 last season.
Technology has also jumped, doubling from five to ten, while transport, travel and tourism accounted for 13 and construction and real estate 11.
The biggest change, unsurprisingly, has come with betting.
Betting and gaming brands celebrated 14 headline deals across the big five last season but are down to four in 2026/27, largely due to the Premier League’s voluntary ban on gambling firms taking the top position on matchday shirts.
It has not produced the commercial hole that some English clubs might have feared, or like the betting crisis currently unfolding in Brazil (Watch: Brazilian president bans all betting, dealing $212 million hit to clubs).
Ampere Analysis estimates that eight Premier League clubs replaced random shirt deals worth a combined £67m with new deals worth £75m. Total shirt sponsorship revenue across the league increased by 8% to £444m.
Gambling money hasn’t completely disappeared either, as Football Benchmark counted nine gambling and gambling deals in the Big Five, up from six last season.
Everton’s former main partner Stake is one of those who have switched to the sleeve, while Ampere estimates that bookmakers now account for 20% of the Premier League’s sleeve sponsorship spend, up from just 3% a year ago.
Sleeve inventory more broadly continues to grow, with the number of deals across the five leagues increasing from 76 to 85. Financial services again leads the sector with 22.
Above the shirt, Adidas strengthened its position as Europe’s most used kit supplier, providing shirts for 26 of the 96 clubs analysed, up from 23. Nike moved into second place with 14, while Puma dropped from 15 clubs to 11.
Adidas is particularly dominant at the top end of the market, with six of the top ten kit deals based on reported annual value. Nike has three and Puma one, with Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United all operating agreements worth more than €100m per season.
To view the full report, click here.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at (email protected)
