Japanese telco KDDI has finalized a regional sponsorship deal with the Asian Football Confederation national team competitions during the 2021-24 period.
In this agreement, KDDI covers the territory of Japan. KDDI will cover the ongoing final round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers for the 2022 Fifa World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup.
During the previous AFC rights cycle, 2017 to 2020, KDDI was also a sponsor of the AFC national team events. The rights also covered the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
The Japanese telco had also been the Japanese national team’s sponsor in the past.
KDDI intends to develop its 5G mobile network in Japan. It has inked an association with the sports streaming platform DAZN, which allows the Japanese subscribers special 5G payment plans with better quality streams. DAZN has already acquired streaming rights for all AFC national team and club competitions for eight years from 2021 to 2028.
Announcing the new AFC deal, Makoto Takahashi, president and representative director of KDDI, said: “KDDI’s corporate philosophy is to ‘contribute to the development of an affluent communication society’.
“We have been striving to improve the spectator experience of various sports, including the development of communication networks and infrastructures. By utilising our advanced technologies, KDDI will continue to assist the sports industry through spectator experiences and communication services.”
AFC general secretary Dato’ Windsor John said: “We are delighted to renew our regional partnership deal with KDDI, who have been a strong supporter of the sport in Asia and Japan.”