AFC pours extension to Tsingtao partnership

Chinese brewery Tsingtao has signed a four-year extension to its partnership with the Asian Football Confederation.

The new deal will run until the end of 2020. AFC’s previous three-year agreement, which was signed in 2013, was due to expire at the end of the month.

From next year, Tsingtao will sponsor the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup club competitions in the ASEAN, east and south Asia regions. Tsingtao will also hold the rights to present a man of the match award in the designated territories.

“Tsingtao's continued commitment to make a seven-year partnership with AFC Champions League and AFC Cup displays Tsingtao's support to the future of Asian football,” Cai Zhi Wei, vice-president of sales and marketing at Tsingtao, said.

The AFC Cup, which is contested by clubs from lower-ranked member nations, will operate under a new format in 2017.

For the first time, the competition will feature a west zone final and an inter-zone play-off between the champions of the ASEAN, central, south and east zones. The winner of the inter-zone play-off will qualify for the AFC Cup final, where it will meet the winner of the west zone final.

The AFC Champions League has the highest prize money for the winners of any club competition outside of Europe.