Chelsea Finally Find New Shirt Sponsor—But There’s a Catch
Chelsea have confirmed a sponsorship agreement which will see the logo of AI company IFS worn on the front of their shirts for the remainder of the season.
The Blues have been searching for a permanent shirt sponsor ever since their agreement with Three expired in the summer of 2023, with club officials searching for a lucrative, long-term deal which, as of now, has yet to arrive.
Short-term deals with Infinite Athlete and DAMAC have been struck in recent years, and Chelsea have found yet another temporary sponsor. IFS have agreed a multi-year partnership with the club but will only see its logo on the front of shirts until the remainder of the season.
Chelsea will wear the IFS logo on their shirts as early as Saturday’s meeting with Burnley.
Driving performance through innovation.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 20, 2026
IFS joins Chelsea FC as our new Principal Partner, bringing Industrial AI technology to elevate every level of the Club. 📈
When Will Chelsea Find a Permanent Sponsor?
In October 2022, shortly after BlueCo assumed control at Stamford Bridge, co-owner Behdad Eghbali claimed Chelsea were “not terribly well managed on the football side, sporting side or promotional side” under the previous ownership. That quote has regularly been thrown back in the face of the unpopular official by disgruntled supporters.
Chelsea’s delay in finding a permanent sponsor is thought to be purely financial. The Blues have high expectations for a long-term sponsorship deal but have yet to find any brands prepared to meet their asking price.
Club officials argued Chelsea, as a global brand, was worth a sponsorship deal comparable to the biggest in the Premier League, Manchester United’s $75 million-per-year agreement with Qualcomm Snapdragon.
The problem was, however, Chelsea failed to secure the Champions League football needed to command such a figure in the 2023–24 season and did not return to the competition until 2025–26. Brands did not want to pay big-money to sponsor a team that was not offering the global platform of the Champions League.
Now back in Europe’s top competition, Chelsea’s priority continues to be finding a deal which reflects their status as a global powerhouse. Club officials believe their refusal to commit to contracts up to this point will eventually be rewarded with an incredibly lucrative sponsorship deal, insisting gettied tied into a long-term agreement while outside of the Champions League would have been a mistake.
Negotiations over a permanent sponsor have been frequent, but this entire issue was nearly addressed back in the summer of 2023 when Chelsea struck a deal with Paramount, only for the Premier League to block the sponsorship arrangement amid concerns of potential problems with other broadcast partners.
Gambling company Stake have held talks in the past—a movement protested by many Chelsea fans—while December brought a meeting with Riyadh Air over a front-of-shirt proposal. Kaiyun Sports, another betting website, are also thought to have discussed a deal, even though gambling sponsors will be banned in the Premier League at the start of next season.
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