Unilever personal care brands Dove and Sure have joined as Adidas and Coca-Cola as official sponsors of this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is being held in Australia and New Zealand.
The partnership will run through to 2027, incorporating the World Cup 2026 and the FIFAe Finals, with Unilever personal care president Fabian Garcia describing FIFA fans as an “enormous and highly engaged audience”.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is set to be the biggest standalone women’s sporting event in the world, reaching an estimated 2 billion people. FIFA is targeting 1.5 million attendees across the tournament’s 64 matches, providing many opportunities to inspire more women and girls to get involved in the sport.
“This is a significant opportunity for [our brands] to engage a growing audience of women’s football fans, demonstrate relevance and build brand power, while promoting gender equality in sports and supporting future generations of female athletes,” added Garcia.
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The global consumer goods giant will also be working with FIFA to collaborate on its Women’s Development Programme, designed to help accelerate the growth of women’s football on a global scale.
Unilever will provide funding, human resources, and support for tailored development programmes to tap into the upsurge in interest surrounding the women’s game.
The collaboration will build on existing Unilever projects, such as Dove’s Self-Esteem project which has been inspiring body confidence since 2004, reaching over 94 million young people to date.
FIFA secretary general, Fatma Samoura said she was “incredibly excited” for Unilever to be joining the organisation’s “journey”.
“2023 is going to be a landmark moment for women’s football, and Unilever are the ideal sponsor to help us grow the game globally – this year and beyond.”
