February 8 – Coca-Cola has announced that its eCOPA Coca-Cola tournament will be an official EA Sports FIFA 18 Global Series qualifier event as part of ‘The Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018’ that will be played in August.
January 23 – The global leg of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour sponsored by Coca-Cola kicked off with an official launch ceremony in London on Monday and plans to hit 91 cities across 51 countries and six continents.
By Paul Nicholson
September 21 – FIFA sponsor Coca-Cola has teamed up with FIFA 18 video gamemaker EA Sports to sign Alex Hunter as a brand ambassador in advance of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Don’t bother trying to work out who Hunter plays for, he only exists as a virtual athlete in the FIFA 18 game.
By David Owen
March 18 – The full scale of the financial damage wreaked by FIFA’s year of turmoil is now becoming apparent. Revenue from marketing rights to the World Cup – sponsorship to you and me – is down over $100 million, or 29%, in 2015 from the equivalent figure in 2011, the corresponding point in the previous four-year commercial cycle.