Canada Soccer has struck a new marketing and sponsorship rights agreement with Canadian Soccer Business, replacing a deal that players claimed deprived the federation of much-needed revenue.
Canada Soccer on Friday announced the 12-year agreement with CSB, which has rebranded as Canadian Soccer Media and Entertainment. It comes at a crucial time as the nation prepares to host this summer's World Cup with Mexico and the United States.
The partnership includes Canada Soccer's licensing activity, included with sponsorship and media rights, to coordinate the federation's commercial growth. It is expected to boost Canada Soccer's finances going forward.
Revenues generated will be primarily invested into the senior and youth national teams, coaching and referee development, and community initiatives.
The original agreement with Canadian Soccer Business was decried by the men's and women's national teams in their efforts to strike a labor agreement with Canada Soccer.
The CSB paid Canada Soccer a fee, which the players said was too low. The arrangement was at the heart of a $40 million lawsuit brought by the women's team in 2024.
In 2024, the players reached a framework for a new labor agreement that was contingent on reworking the 10-year agreement with CSB.
“We’re working in close collaboration with the players," Canada Soccer general secretary Kevin Blue told reporters during a press conference Friday. “We have developed a very strong and trustful relationship with the players in the last couple of years. Getting past and resolving this particular issue is a big step in finalizing the formal ratification of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and we are expecting that to happen relatively soon.”
The deal calls for revenue sharing between the two parties, with Canada Soccer's share growing as revenue increases. It is backstopped by annual minimums.
It also includes a commitment to wider broadcasts of senior national games, both in Canada and internationally, with equal consideration given to men's and women's matches.
The partnership will be re-evaluated every three years to ensure fair market value alignment.
“We believe today, after this announcement, that the floodgates will open. We believe a lot of new partnerships will come in. I think you’re going to see that in the coming weeks as we move towards the 2026 World Cup,” said James Johnson of CSME.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
“Powerful, moving, and exhilarating” Read moreSongs For A New World
Exclusive film screening in San Mateo Read moreA LITTLE FELLOW: THE LEGACY OF A.P.GIANNINI
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.