October 30: Concacaf will not renew its commercial agreement with Soccer United Marketing (SUM), ending a partnership dating back to 2016.
Instead, Concacaf will bring sales into the company, saying the move gives it “greater flexibility to develop and manage its commercial partnerships and work with different partners in its commercial competencies and properties.”
SUM, the marketing arm of Major League Soccer, has sold partnerships in the United States for major Concacaf competitions. The contract expires at the end of 2026.
“Over the past decade, we have worked hard to transform Concacaf, strengthen our competitions and create new opportunities for our member associations and business partners,” said Concacaf President Victor Montagliani.
“SUM has been an important partner throughout this journey, and I want to thank them for their commitment and contributions to the growth of our Confederation. As we enter this next chapter, we are excited to build on this foundation, strengthen our commercial capabilities and develop new partnerships.”
SUM will continue to support the 2027 Nations League Finals from March 25-28 and the 2027 Gold Cup from June 17-July 11.
US Soccer ended its relationship with SUM in 2022 and has seen strong commercial growth since then, although the 2026 World Cup accounts for much of that. Concacaf has also been building its own commercial operation, holding its first Commercial Upfront for brands and agencies earlier this month under the commercial direction of Heidi Pellerano.
SUM still sells North American partnerships for the Mexican federation, including the annual Mex-Tour, and manages MLS, as well as the League Cup and Champions Cup with Liga MX.
The loss of Concacaf reduces SUM’s role in MLS and its joint competitions with Mexico. For Concacaf, it means full control over how it sells its tournaments and a bet that it can do better on its own than with the MLS agency in the middle.
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