Furia Esports has officially hit the big leagues of the esports world.
The Brazilian organization best known of its surging Counter-Strike: Global Offensive squad has secured a sponsorship with athletic apparel juggernaut Nike. The sponsorship is Nike’s second foray into esports.
“This contract with Nike is something pioneer in esports’ world and adds credibility and sustainability to our project,” Furia CEO Jaime Pádua F. Filho said. “With Nike’s support, we’ll go on with our job of making dreams come true and forming great athletes by hard work, talent and persistence. We’ve succeeded in CSGO with this formula and we hope to reapply it to other modalities.”
In February, Nike dipped its toes into the esports industry by signing a partnership deal with China’s League of Legends Pro League. The deal established Nike as the official apparel and footwear partner of the league.
The deal with the LPL was part of a larger wave of high-profile sponsors entering esports. Though the space has long been dominated by betting sites, computer hardware manufacturers, and energy drinks, 2019 has seen entities including Nissan, Microsoft, and Kit Kat partner with esports teams.
The partnership with Furia is the first time Nike has entered into a partnership with a singular esports organization. The deal is multiyear and will extend to Furia’s established teams in CSGO and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, as well as its newly sponsored Dota 2 team per Dot Esports. Nike joins Furia’s standing list of sponsors that also includes HyperX and hair care company Clear.
The announcement of the deal comes following Furia’s revelation that it has agreed to a long-term contract extension with its CSGO roster. The team has risen up the ranks of the game over the last few months courtesy of a grand finals berth at the Esports Championship Series Season 7 Finals and placing top-four at DreamHack Masters Dallas.
With a roster that has been growing stronger with time and bears one of the most recognizable logos in sports on its jersey, the future seems bright for Furia. Furia will debut their new look at ESL One Cologne.
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