Front of shirt sponsors are the real brand markers for football clubs, especially in today’s day and age. These shirt sponsors are valuable not just in terms of branding but are also financially viable from the commercial point of view for all the top clubs of the world.
Many top clubs have signed multi-year deals with various companies, which earn them huge revenues. Manchester United’s 5-year deal with Snapdragon from 2024 to 2029 earns them 60 million pounds per year.
Current Premier League champions Liverpool’s deal with International Bank Standard Chartered earns them around 70 million pounds per year under a new agreement until 2027. Arsenal’s long-standing deal with Emirates, which was renewed in 2023 and runs until 2028, earns them 50 million pounds per season.
However, it is noticed that Chelsea have not had a main front of shirt sponsor so far this 2025/26 season.
The Blues are the only club which do not have a main shirt sponsor this season in the Premier League. They only have their crest, the Nike logo being their kit manufacturer and the Club World Cup 2025 Champions badge on their shirt.
Incidentally, Chelsea also started the 2023/24 season without a main sponsor, then, through the season, struck a deal with the US sports technology firm Infinite Athlete. In the 2024/25 season as well, they started the season without a shirt sponsor, then were briefly sponsored by Dubai-based property company Damac, nearing the end of the season.
Not having a permanent shirt sponsor since the 2024/25 season, reportedly, has cost Chelsea around 40 million pounds.
According to the BBC, ‘there is an ongoing competitive process for the front-of-shirt sponsor, with Chelsea believed to have had offers, but focused on aligning with the right long-term partner. The club is aiming to strike a deal worth £60m-£65m per season following qualification for the Champions League and winning the revamped Fifa Club World Cup.’
However, according to Football Insider, Everton’s former chief, Keith Wyness, who now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs, believes that the Blues will now have to accept offers of around £45m, despite originally hoping for more. Wyness insisted that the strategy for holding out for more money is becoming too costly for the club.
New Saudi Arabia airline Riyadh Air had also been strongly linked to a potential sponsorship; however, that deal seems to be on the back burner for the moment.
🚨 EXCL: Chelsea in advanced negotiation for a front-of-shirt (FOS) sponsorship deal to cover the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
— Aarón Ramiro (@AaronHRamiro) November 3, 2025
Reports suggest that Chelsea are considering a dual agreement involving companies Red Bull and Oracle, potentially spanning the technology and aviation sectors.
The airline giant Qatar Airways has emerged as a strong favourite and is touted as the frontrunner for being Chelsea’s new front-of-shirt sponsor.
🚨| Qatar Airways drop hint about becoming Chelsea’s new front-of-shirt sponsor
— Reportista™ (Insider Reports) (@ReportistaFC) August 2, 2025
( via @TheCentelFC ) pic.twitter.com/vedOjwJvEG
According to Simon Johnson via The Athletic After landing a sleeve sponsorship with Vietnamese technology solutions company FPT for their “men’s, women’s and academy kits,” the news of a new main shirt sponsorship deal for the Stamford Bridge outfit is at the final stages and looks imminent.
