Rugby World Cup Limited has appointed the Emirates airline as a worldwide partner of Rugby World Cup 2015 in England and the 2019 tournament in Japan.
The deal also features an extension to Emirates’ sponsorship and support of the International Rugby Board’s match officials until 2019, including rights to match official shirts for both Rugby World Cups, representing a first for rugby union’s global showcase event.
Today’s announcement extends a partnership that has seen Emirates enjoy a substantial presence at every Rugby World Cup since the 2007 event in France. RWCL managing director Brett Gosper said: “This deal represents the largest and most wide-ranging sponsorship deal in the history of Rugby World Cup. We are well on track to secure and announce the full Rugby World Cup 2015 commercial programme in record time, which is great for the tournament and great for rugby at a time when the sport is experiencing unprecedented global profile, participation and commercial appeal.”
The Emirates announcement follows the appointment of Heineken, Land Rover, Société Générale and DHL as Rugby World Cup 2015 worldwide partners, Gilbert as official ball supplier, Canterbury of New Zealand as official sportswear supplier and Clifford Chance as official law firm.