Can Saudi Aramco be stopped?
More than a hundred athletes are calling on FIFA to reconsider its partnership with Aramco. But is it enough to stop the Saudi Arabian oil giant's sporting dominance?
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In an open letter published today, 106 professional players from 24 countries condemned FIFA’s partnership with Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco, calling it a "middle finger to women's soccer."
The letter, which was sent to Sports Politika in advance of its official release, called on FIFA to reconsider the deal and included signatories such as the captains of the Canadian, Italian and Croatian national women’s teams, as well as the former Captains of the US and Afghanistan national women’s team.
“The Saudi authorities trample not only on the rights of women, but on the freedom of all other citizens too,” read the letter. “Imagine LGBTQ+ players, many of whom are heroes of our sport, being expected to promote Saudi Aramco during the 2027 World Cup, the national oil company of a regime that criminalizes the relationships that they are in and the values they stand for?”
In April 2024, FIFA unveiled Aramco as its “Major Worldwide Partner” in a agreement that will run through to the end of 2027. Under the deal, Aramco will have sponsorship rights for the football governing body’s most prestigious upcoming events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup 26 and the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The FIFA-Aramco partnership marked a significant advancement in the kingdom’s campaign for global sports dominance—a campaign that includes billions of dollars spent across tennis, boxing, Formula 1, golf, horse racing, and football. In December, the kingdom is likely to secure the rights to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup
Saudi Arabia also accrued hundreds of sponsorships across sports, such as those made with Aramco, a state-owned conglomerate. Aramco directly sponsors dozens of tournaments and leagues, including the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Aston Martin Formula 1 racing team, the Indian Premier League, the Houston Half Marathon, as well as a range of esports teams and events.
While the FIFA-Aramco partnership underscores the the rapid normalization of Saudi Arabia in the global sports landscape, it also lays bare how oil companies have penetrated major sports as part of a strategy to distract from their role in climate change.
"In taking Aramco's sponsorship, FIFA is choosing money over women's safety and the safety of the planet and that's something we as players are standing against, together," current Team Canada player Jessie Fleming wrote in the letter.
Aramco, along with other fossil fuel giants like British petrochemicals giant Ineos, French oil producer TotalEnergies, and London-based oil major Shell, are responsible for billions in sports sponsorships ranging from football, tennis and motorsports to athletics and badminton. TotalEnergies, for example, maintains a seven-year partnership with the African Cup of Nations football tournament and is the official sponsors of the 2030 Rugby World Cup.
FIFA's partnership with Aramco is likely one of the most profitable among fossil fuel sponsorships, which helps explain why the organization chose to stand by its deal with the kingdom despite ongoing criticism.
"FIFA values its partnership with Aramco and its many other commercial and rights partners," the organization said in a statement.
FIFA’s unwavering commitment to its Saudi partner makes it hard to envision any halt to Aramco’s rapid expansion. Much of the oil giant’s growing involvement in sports is being driven by Yasir Al-Rumayyan, chairman of Aramco and governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), one of the world's wealthiest sovereign wealth funds. Al-Rumayyan also holds key roles as chairman of Newcastle United, president of Saudi Arabia’s Olympic Committee, and chairman of Riyadh Air—a new state-owned airline that sponsors Atlético de Madrid.
Al-Rumayyan is a prime example of Saudi Arabia’s growing footprint in global sports. Beyond chairing a major Premier League club, he heads a sovereign wealth fund that owns the country's leading football teams and oversees Aramco, which not only partners with FIFA but also owns its own football club, Al-Qadsiah. Despite these clear conflicts of interest, Al-Rumayyan's power and influence in sports continue to grow, which, in turn, further reshape the kingdom’s global image.
Aramco, too, plays a central role in Saudi Arabia’s rebranding efforts. Once primarily an instrument of the kingdom’s statecraft, the oil giant is now also a vehicle for projecting soft power through international sports.
By opposing Saudi Arabia's involvement in sports, as over 100 of the world’s top football players recently did, this movement may pose a challenge to the kingdom's soft power ambitions. However, as long as major organizations like FIFA continue to back the regimes they collaborate with, that opposition alone won't be enough to bring about lasting change.
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Honestly I’m hoping the EU competition ruling on transfers helps destroy FIFA’s influence in the game. Every club team fan HATE the international break. FIFA won’t listen to anyone especially not with a relationship with ARAMACO at stake.