The Spanish defender of Real Madrid # 20 Francisco Garcia fights for the ball with the Spanish striker of Barcelona # 19 Lamine Yamal during the Spanish League football match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid Cf in Estadi Olimpic Llois Company in Barcelona, on May 11, 2025.
Lluis gene | AFP | Getty images
Walmart Amended his brand to the biggest football match.
The largest retailer in the country plans to announce a partnership with the Spanish football league on Thursday, the Liga as it seeks to develop in football and to take advantage of its growing Fandom in the United States
As part of the partnership, Walmart will become the first presentation partner of “El Clásico” of La Liga, a match of rivalry between its two powerful teams: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid cf.
“Combining Liga and El Clásico allows Walmart to fuel energy creating unforgettable experiences and giving fans more means to celebrate the game they love,” William White White to CNBC, director of marketing at Walmart, told Walmart. “In the end, Walmart seeks to facilitate fans to commit and participate in the game.”
The partnership will include a new logo featuring Walmart as a presentation partner for the rivalry match, which will be used in the United States and Canada and its beginnings this season.
The rivalry game dates back to 1929 and systematically attracted 650 million viewers in more than 180 countries, according to Walmart and La Liga.
The first El Clásico, which translates into “The Classic” in Spanish, of the 2025-26 season is scheduled for October 26 in Madrid, with the second match on May 10 in Barcelona.
Walmart and La Liga will launch the partnership before the first match with a full weekend of fans events in Houston from October 24. The partnership will include large-scale visualization celebrations, concerts, meetings with old stars, co-marked goods and detail promotions.
“The United States is the cheap in the league [La Liga] In terms of audience and companies outside of Spain, “said Boris Gartner, a relevant partner and president of sports, who, with La Liga, formed the Venture 50-50 La Liga North America to represent the Spanish League in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America.
La Liga in North America manages the rights of the media and the trade agreements of the League.
“It is not only a question of slapping two logos side by side. It is a real partnership with what we build,” said Gartner.
The Spanish power clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona, have sheltered with some of the world’s largest names in football – including the Superstar Lionel Messi, who played for Barcelona until 2021 and now plays for Inter Miami of Major League Soccer, and more recently the young French star Kylian Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid.
In the United States, Disney ESPN broadcasts Liga Games on its streaming platforms and television networks. The company said that in August the 2024-2025 season was the most successful for the ESPN platform league to date, with 5.4 billion minutes seen on its networks and streaming services.
The multiannual agreement of the Spanish League with Walmart is supposed to rely on this growing audience for football La Liga in the United States, as well as on the basis of growing football fans before the 2026 World Cup, which will take place through the United States, Mexico and Canada.
“We came knowing that the World Cup was taking place in 2026 and that sport increased considerably in the United States, and that we had to be part of this growth not only from the point of view of companies for the League on the big media market in the world, but also with the possibility of helping to fuel the growth of sport,” said Gartner.
In July, Walmart concluded a multi -year agreement with MLS to become an official sponsor and a league partner. At the beginning of May, MLS sponsorship revenues increased two -digit compared to 2024, CNBC reported earlier this year. Likewise, the base of American football fans increased, especially since Messi joined the MLS ranks in 2023.