As the FIFA World Cup 2026 gets underway across North America, the oil and gas industry has certainly secured its place at the event. While Nike and Adidas have recruited soccer stars and A-list celebrities from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and the Kardashians for their advertisements, oil and gas conglomerates have equally ensured their presence through similar, albeit slightly less dramatic, media partnerships. Aramco features alongside Adidas, Coca-Cola, and Hyundai as premier-level sponsors for the summer’s most anticipated soccer event.
Aramco became a FIFA Major Worldwide Partner in 2024, with the commencement of a four-year partnership.1 This collaboration will continue throughout the summer of 2026, as Aramco branding features pitchside throughout the tournament, and the company is set to present the FIFA Young Player of the Tournament Award. This deal, estimated to be worth US$400 million by the Los Angeles Times, will provide Aramco with a significant presence across all channels, reaching both a North American and a global audience.2
The tournament has already generated significant discourse surrounding environmental concerns, particularly stemming from the extensive air-travel required for supporters and spectators attending matches, alongside the increased quantity of matches with the expanded tournament format, and the presence of high-profile oil and gas companies amid the sponsorship lists.3 While such a partnership has come under scrutiny, traditional forms of oil and gas are here to stay. McKinsey & Co. projects that fossil fuels will still comprise up to 55% of global energy consumption by 2050, and its latest ‘Global Energy Perspective’ report rejects the rapid scaling up and adoption of biofuels, instead positing the slow growth of alternative, cleaner, renewable fuels.4 Aramco’s position as a headline sponsor for the FIFA tournament reflects how these traditional forms of energy are to remain integral for the energy mix over the coming decades.
However, questions of sustainability are undoubtedly at the forefront of discussions for oil, gas, and petrochemical operators. The aforementioned Aramco are investing heavily in CCUS technology, boasting the ability to capture and process 34 million ft3 of CO2 at its NGL plant in Hawiyah, Saudi Arabia. Future projects for the oil and gas giant include its partnership with SLB and Linde to construct a CCS hub in the Jubail industrial zone, also in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Decarbonisation will not occur overnight, nor will the eradication of oil and gas from our daily lives. Instead the short-term focus must consider how to balance the continued use of fossil fuels amid rapidly changing environmental demands, alongside how to mitigate and minimise the greenhouse gases emitted from such operations.
- https://www.aramco.com/en/what-we-do/energy-innovation/innovation-ecosystem/aramco-fifa-partnership
- https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-04-30/one-of-world-cups-biggest-sponsors-is-big-oil
- https://www.cooldownclimate.org/latest/fifa-mens-world-cup-2026-will-be-most-polluting-ever-and-promote-oil-giant-aramco-new-research
- https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/energy-and-materials/our-insights/global-energy-perspective
