January 25 – The AFC has renewed and expanded its deal with video game maker Konami Digital Entertainment across national team and club competitions for the 2021-2024 rights cycle.
The new agreement, described as both a “sponsorship and licensing deal”, covers both the AFC Asian Qualifies (for both the Qatar 2022 World Cup and Asian Cup 2023) as well as the AFC Champions League.
Konami will introduce an official competition mode for the 2022 World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers in future editions of Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) games. The AFC Champions League competition mode will be refreshed to carry the new AFC brand identity.
Dato’ Windsor John, the AFC General Secretary, said: “This deal demonstrates the incredible appeal and stature of the AFC competitions and the global popularity of e-gaming among football fans. We look forward to seeing more of our competitions become available within Konami’s products for the benefit of our passionate fans.”
Designated as an Official Supporter, Konami will activate a comprehensive set of association, activation, branding and ticketing rights. It will also have various exclusive activation opportunities to engage with national team and club football fan bases.
“As an Asian game publisher, we are proud to announce the extension and expansion of the partnership with the AFC, said Hideki Hayakawa, president of Konami.
“Football in Asia has been growing and is becoming more important on a global scale. We look forward to working with the AFC to continue to promote Asia’s football to the world.”
No value was given for the deal.
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