Circle Cryptocurrency USDC Sponsors Premier League Chelsea’s Kit
Circle Internet is the issuer of the world’s second-largest stablecoin, USDC. They are also now the main sponsor of English Premier League football team Chelsea. New kits for the team will feature a large “USDC by Circle” ad right below the Nike and Chelsea logos.
The terms of the deal have not yet been confirmed, though early reports suggested that the soccer team was targeting 65 million pounds for a deal. It’s a prominent ad space right on the front of the jersey, and the yearly fee was expected to be substantial.
The spot on the uniform had been empty for three years, with the London football team seeking out a worthy deal; the 2026-2027 season under new manager Xabi Alonso will now see Circle Internet sponsored. In the past, Yokohama, Samsung, and Fly Emirates have been featured on the iconic blue jerseys.
The new jerseys have not been seen yet, but they will be featured at the home debut on Sunday against Brighton and Hove Albion. This is a first for a cryptocurrency: never before has an EPL team had crypto like USDC so prominently featured on a kit. The logo for Circle USDC will now get global coverage.
Photo via Circle
However, it’s not the first time a cryptocurrency has been on a Premier League jersey — OKX and Kraken helped kick this off. They became the sleeve sponsors for Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively, in the last few years. That is a less desirable sponsor slot, though, than the chest.
Terms of the deal for Kraken were not disclosed, but OKX’s was about $70 million per year in 2023. With that in mind, we can safely assume that the 65 million pound price tag is pretty accurate since it’s a premier ad space on the front of Chelsea’s blue jersey.
The UK’s FCA has warned Premier League teams about partnering with unauthorized cryptocurrency firms before, according to Coindesk. Because the FCA has authorized USDC for a decade, this deal is not in violation of any FCA rules.
☑️ My view: It could be a game-changer for crypto
Jerseys in all sports now are largely dominated by advertisements. There are some holdouts, but even the ones that stood pat for a long time, like the New York Yankees, have caved. But soccer jerseys have long been dominated by brands — classic Lionel Messi FC Barcelona kits have had UNICEF and other brands at various times.
In that sense, they were ahead of the curve. The sport might be ahead of it again with the inclusion of cryptocurrencies. Those are, for better or worse, a huge part of the economy and the culture now. The industry’s rise can be assessed by the fact that they’re now agreeing sponsorship deals for a few of the biggest sports teams in the entire world.
While the Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur deals were notable, this Chelsea deal takes the cryptocurrency’s exposure to the next level, with USDC likely to become known by millions more people almost overnight.
Featured image credit: Circle, Chelsea FC
Zachary Roberts
Zachary Roberts is an avid gamer and writer that loves to merge those things. He’s been featured on VideoGamer, ComicBook, New Leaf, Esports.net, and Sportskeeda as well as the On SI network of Sports Illustrated and Sporting News.
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