Crypto sponsoring: Football remains leader in 2024, Formula 1 picks up
With investments of over $ 243 million, football in the 2024/25 season was again the most attractive sport for sponsorship partnerships from the crypto and digital asset sector.
According to a report by the sports marketing agency Sport Quake 43 percent of all the corresponding deals were covered by football – an increase of 64 percent compared to the previous season. The increased interest was particularly visible through top-class partnerships, including the armory of octopuses with Tottenham Hotspur, Bitpanda's agreement with Paris Saint-Germain and the new title partnership of Crypto.com with the UEFA Champions League.
Tratsponsoring was the most common form of cooperation: Around 35 percent of all football crypto deals included 2024 jersey areas-more than twice as many as in the previous year.
Almost half of all crypto investments in football were eliminated by clubs from the five great European leagues (England, Germany, Spain, Italy, France). According to the Kraken marketing chief Mayur Gupta If the high proportion of passionate football fans in the target group is a central reason for the commitment: “Our market research shows that over 75 % of our core target group in Europe is football fans.”
After the so-called “crypto winter” in 2022 and 2023, triggered by scandals around FTX and Terraluna, the sector gradually returns. While at that time some deals – for example with Inter Milan or AS Rome – could not be met, a growing willingness to invest has been recognized again since 2024. Inter recently signed new partnerships with Gate.io and Blockdag.
Formula 1 establishes itself as a challenger
Formula 1 takes second place with 28 percent of the total investment. In 2024, according to Sport Quake, around $ 174 million in crypto sponsorship were invested in F1 teams-continuous growth since 2022. Brands such as Crypto.com, Coinbase, Gate.io and Zoomex are currently active with teams such as Red Bull, Aston Martin and Haas.
Formula 1 offers a high media presence worldwide and – like the crypto industry – addresses a comparatively young, digital affine audience: 42 percent of fans are under 35 years old, the series reaches over 97 million followers in social networks.
