DECATHLON becomes major LFP partner until 2032

The Ligue de Football Professionnel has renewed and expanded its partnership with DECATHLON, elevating the retailer to “Partenaire Majeur” in a deal that runs for five further seasons from 2027 until 2032.The agreement locks in continuity on a core piece of competition IP, with DECATHLON continuing to supply the official match balls for Ligue 1 McDonald’s and Ligue 2 BKT.The upgraded rights package also increases DECATHLON’s exposure across matchday inventory and the leagues’ digital platforms, giving the brand a more prominent role in the LFP’s commercial ecosystem.Jérémie Siino, director of DECATHLON brand Kipsta, said: “This confidence from the LFP is an immense source of pride for DECATHLON. Extending this partnership until 2032 confirms the credibility of Kipsta products at the highest level.”He said: “Our ambition is to let all enthusiasts play, from Ligue 1 McDonald’s to amateur clubs, by making performance accessible to everyone. By offering an unbeatable value-to-price ratio, we want every player to feel the same pleasure and the same quality of play as the pros.”The LFP and DECATHLON are positioning the partnership around “football à la française”, with the future official ball designed and developed at DECATHLON’s team sports design centre in Tourcoing in northern France.Both parties described the relationship as a practical innovation pipeline, with co-design input from the professional game and an intent to translate elite performance requirements into mass-market product development.A sustainability angle has also been built into the next cycle, with the partners targeting greater durability and reduced replacement frequency for balls used across competitions.The LFP said the partnership will act as a lever for domestic and international reach, with DECATHLON’s store network and community footprint used to extend fan engagement beyond France.Matthieu Maignal, partnerships director at LFP Media, said: “Renewing our partnership with DECATHLON and its elevation to Partenaire Majeur mark a new stage in a collaboration built closely with clubs and stakeholders in professional football.”He said: “Together, we share the ambition to highlight French know-how, innovative and high-performing, in service of our competitions and all participants.”The next steps are implementation planning for the 2027–28 cycle, including confirmation of the visibility assets, digital activation calendar and the roll-out of the next official match ball design across Ligue 1 and Ligue 2.