On September 5, Hisense Group officially announced that it has become the official global sponsor of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This is the third time Hisense Group has sponsored the World Cup after the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Fang Xueyu, Vice President of Hisense Group, said that the company will focus on the three cores of "colorful, AI, and passion" and rely on leading RGB-MiniLED and AI technologies to continue to improve the viewing experience through in-depth cooperation with FIFA. Romy Gai, Chief Commercial Officer of FIFA, said that the two parties have expanded the breadth and depth of cooperation based on shared values and work together to elevate football to a new level. He has high expectations for the upcoming 2026 World Cup and said that he will work with Hisense Group to "bring an unprecedented World Cup."
Sports marketing has become a key catalyst for the globalization of Chinese brands. The home appliance industry was the first industry to accelerate brand globalization through sponsorship of top sports events, and Hisense Group has been the pioneer and leader among them. Since becoming the official sponsor of the European Cup in 2016, Hisense Group has not only "blazed a new path" for Chinese brands to enter top events, but also proved the important value of sports marketing for independent brand building and led the trend of Chinese companies participating in the world's top sports events.
From the initial "bold attempts" to "deep value cultivation" of the world's top sports events, Hisense Group has accumulated rich experience in global event operations and has precipitated a set of event operation methodology with the core keywords of "technology-driven, user-driven, service-driven, and humanities-driven". This methodology is continuing to empower Hisense’s global brand building.
Hisense Group CEO Yu Zhitao and FIFA Chief Commercial Officer Romy Gay jointly issued a joint statement to jointly lift the Hercules Cup. "We believe that the World Cup is China Unicom'sBridge of the world. Looking back on the past, I am deeply proud that we have created history together with Hisense Group. Romy Gay spoke highly of the cooperation between FIFA and Hisense. He said that after brand cooperation in 2018, content cooperation in 2022, and Hisense display technology supporting the video assistant referee system at this year’s Club World Cup, the two parties have continued to expand the breadth and depth of cooperation based on common values, and have worked together to elevate football to a new level.
With every past collaboration, FIFA and Hisense Group have pushed the boundaries of display and broadcast technology forward. Fang Xueyu emphasized that every World Cup will promote a new display technology revolution, and the 2026 World Cup will accelerate the comprehensive popularization of RGB-MiniLed technology, allowing more users around the world to enjoy more realistic and brilliant colors on the field.
FIFA has high hopes for the colorful World Cup brought about by the popularization of RGB-MiniLED. "RGB-MiniLed display technology is a major leap forward in the way of watching football games. Football is a symphony of colours – the pitch is a vivid green under the stadium lights, the players areWearing colorful jerseys and flying on the field. When the World Cup is held in Canada, Mexico and the United States, and when hundreds of millions of viewers participate in the event through screens, Hisense Group's display technology will define the sensory experience of this event for global audiences. I can say with confidence: together we will create an unprecedented visual feast. "Romy Gay fully affirmed Hisense Group's responsibility of continuous innovation to achieve inclusive technology, making cutting-edge display technology "within the reach of fans around the world."
Li Wei, President of Hisense Vision Technology, revealed that the world's first high-end RGB-MiniLED TV U7SPro will be released at the end of September. It inherits the core advantages of RGB-MiniLED: high color gamut, high-precision color control, low blue light eye protection, and large-screen comfortable experience. It aims to allow global users to enjoy the ultimate picture quality brought by RGB-MiniLED before the arrival of the 2026 World Cup. At the same time, Hisense Group officially released the latest generation smart TV operating system, which has achieved a significant leap in convenience and intelligence, bringing users a smoother and smarter interactive experience. FIFA and Hisense Group also announced that the two parties will continue to explore new areas, develop high-definition content and experiences, and fully protect fans from both hardware and software, allowing fans to be closer to the stadium than ever before and feel the excitement of football.charm.
The 2026 World Cup will create a number of historic breakthroughs: it will be held in three countries for the first time; it will expand the scale of participation from 32 teams to 48 teams for the first time; it will reach a record-breaking 39 days for the first time. This will definitely be a passionate World Cup. "Where the love is, where the users are, Hisense is there! "Fang Xueyu said that Hisense Group will continue to explore new marketing methods, carry out a series of activities in many countries and regions around the world, spread football culture, strengthen interaction and links with users and fans, and ignite every love.
According to reports, the world's top sports events have brought strong momentum to the development of the Hisense brand. In 2018, Hisense Group became the first Chinese consumer electronics brand to sponsor the World Cup. As of 2024, Hisense Group's overall revenue has increased by 70%, overseas revenue has increased by 1.6 times, Hisense brand value has increased by 156%, and overseas brand awareness has increased by 87%. Hisense TV ranking has risen from third to second in the world. 100-inch TVs and laser TVs are already No. 1 in the world. Hisense refrigerator retail share ranks No. 1 in Europe.
Hisense Group's third sponsorship of the World Cup not only marks the deepening of its strategic partnership with FIFA, but also symbolizes that Hisense Group has reached a new level of value cultivation on the road of global expansion and independent brand building. Hisense Group is growing from a participant in top events to a technology leader that defines the future viewing experience and connects the emotions of fans around the world.
ANNA