Emirates Partners With Asia Rugby As Title Sponsor

Airline to support Sevens and 15s tournaments across Asia for three years

Emirates is now the title sponsor for various Asia Rugby competitions and tournaments across the continent /

By Priscilla Jepchumba

Emirates announced a groundbreaking partnership with Asia Rugby to sponsor a range of thrilling rugby competitions. This deal, secured by the current Asia Rugby President, Qais Al Dhalai, marks a major milestone during his five-year tenure. The exact value of this game-changing deal remains undisclosed, but it signifies a significant step forward for both Emirates and Asia Rugby.

Emirates will now take the spotlight as the title sponsor for a variety of Asia Rugby competitions and tournaments spanning the entire continent. This exciting partnership encompasses the Asia Rugby Men’s and Women’s Championships, the Asia Rugby Sevens Series, and a host of thrilling age-grade competitions.

“The new multi-year partnership allows the airline to enable Asia Rugby to invest in and stage 7s and 15s series tournaments, as well as Asia Rugby Championships with participation that cuts across 36 countries in Asia,” said Emirates via its public relations.

The partnership kicked off with the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series Men’s and Women’s Round 2, hosted in Hangzhou, China. Throughout the event, the top 8 men’s and women’s teams vied for ranking spots in the final round, set to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, in November.

The airline’s ‘Fly Better’ branding will be prominently displayed on match official jerseys, match balls, support staff bibs, post pads, stadium branding, and various other elements for 21 different tournaments spanning the next 3 years.

“In the last five years, we have established Asia Rugby as a brand with more tournaments and increased the reach of our social media with all our events live-streamed to bring rugby to Asia,” said Al Dhalai, the Asia Rugby President.

The significant financial burden of hosting tournaments and the costs of teams attending the tournaments remain a concern. It is yet to be seen if the new sponsorship deal will help cover these costs, including flight deals for the teams. Emirates has been sponsoring the Rugby World Cup since 2007 and became its worldwide partner in 2011.

Emirates sponsors World Rugby’s match officials and has partnerships with the South African Emirates Lions and Emirates Airline Park. In October 2023, Emirates extended its support for the UAE Rugby Federation until the end of 2026.

Emirates' news comes the same week that Singapore Airlines announced a new partnership with Harlequins in the English Premiership.