Volkswagen has taken another major step in embedding itself within the European football ecosystem, unveiling a new multi-year partnership with Italy’s premier league, Serie A, ahead of the 2025-26 season. The agreement designates the German automotive powerhouse as the official automotive and technology partner of the league.
But this isn’t just another logo placement. It’s a signal.
Under the deal, Volkswagen will enjoy prominent visibility across high-impact match moments, television broadcasts, and digital assets. From goal replays to halftime features, Serie A’s broadcast output is being wired for brand integration at scale — and Volkswagen is at the center of it.
Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo highlighted the commercial significance:
“This collaboration represents a further opportunity for commercial growth, continuing the development of our brand and confirming the attractiveness of Italian football internationally.”
This isn’t an isolated move. It follows Volkswagen’s recent multi-pronged football expansion, including:
- Becoming official car partner to La Liga and Segunda Division in Spain
- A global partnership with Liga F, Spain’s top-tier women’s competition
- Sponsorship of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC)
- Brand presence at the UEFA Women’s Euros
- Ongoing ownership of Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg, including men’s and women’s teams
This latest partnership with Serie A also coincides with another major move in Italian football — Genius Sports has been appointed as the league’s exclusive distributor of official data and streaming rights, covering Serie A, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa Italiana through to 2029. It marks a critical moment of digital and commercial evolution for the league, elevating its appeal to betting operators, media platforms, and brand partners alike.
Volkswagen is plugging into that momentum.
Consulting Perspective: Why Volkswagen’s Football Playbook Signals a Shift in Sponsorship Strategy
At a surface level, Volkswagen’s growing presence in football might look like classic brand expansion. But dig deeper and it reveals a blueprint for multi-market brand alignment in the sport-tech-media ecosystem.
Here’s what makes this play strategic:
1. Integrated Storytelling Through Rights Tiers
Volkswagen is no longer picking a league or a team. It’s assembling a portfolio of national and international touchpoints, aligned across men’s and women’s football. This supports holistic storytelling — from grassroots values to elite stage performance.
2. Data-Driven Distribution
Through partnerships that leverage media and data (like Genius Sports), leagues are now offering brands smarter, more personalized exposure. Volkswagen’s timing suggests it sees football’s data revolution not just as media inventory, but as a new medium altogether.
3. Brand as Ecosystem Partner
By linking with governing bodies (e.g., FIGC), owning clubs (Wolfsburg), and sponsoring competitions across multiple geographies, Volkswagen is positioning itself not just as a sponsor, but as an enabler of football infrastructure — from transport to technology to fan experience.
4. Platform-Agnostic Audience Reach
With visibility across streaming, broadcast, and digital match moments, this isn’t about traditional advertising. It’s about owning moments — moments that matter emotionally and commercially.
What It Means for Leagues and Brands: The New Standard
Volkswagen’s Serie A deal is a case study in how legacy brands can reinvent their sports presence for the digital-first, fan-led, tech-integrated future of sport. It’s not about quantity of exposure — it’s about quality of integration, aligned with league innovation and market-specific narratives.
For other automotive, tech, and consumer brands looking to expand into sport, the lesson is clear:
Don’t just sponsor the game — design your role in the game’s future.
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From multi-league activations to media rights leverage, we can help you enter — and own — the next era of sport. Get in touch here.
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