With the first 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM match set to kick off on 14 June in Moscow ,just one week away, Qatar Airways, the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA, is preparing to unite football fans from around the world as it begins the official countdown to the World Cup.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “With just seven days until the 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM begins, we could not be more pleased to be taking part in this event as the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA. This year’s tournament is especially exciting, as it is the first to take place in Russia, an extremely important market to us. In the past year, we have extended our reach in Russia by launching new daily services to St. Petersburg, Russia’s glittering cultural capital, complementing our triple-daily services to Moscow.
“As the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA, we are delighted to see the excitement building, as fans from around the world prepare to gather in Russia to cheer for their teams and celebrate their love for the game. As an airline, we believe in the power of sports to bring people together, and there is no greater event than the 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM to celebrate a love for football.”
Qatar Airways launched a new 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM campaign, featuring a re-recording of the classic song ‘Dancing in the Street’ sung by renowned singer and TV star Nicole Scherzinger, The airline launched a social media campaign l ‘FIFA Fan Match’in which Participants were asked to describe themselves using five emojis for a chance to win tickets to watch the semi-finals in St. Petersburg.
In April, Qatar Airways signed an MoU with Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport, Russia’s third-largest airport, committing to a potential acquisition of up to 25 per cent of the airport’s total shares, complementing the strong ties established with the country, and in support of the airline’s existing investment strategy.
To celebrate the Year of Culture between the State of Qatar and Russia, the airline announced a five-year partnership with Cosmoscow International Contemporary Art Fair, a prestigious event that unites the contemporary Russian art market and helps its contributors establish contacts with the international art community.
In May 2017, Qatar Airways announced a groundbreaking sponsorship deal with FIFA, which saw the award-winning airline become the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA until 2022. The partnership, one of the biggest sporting sponsorships in the world, gives Qatar Airways extensive marketing and branding rights at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ and the 2022 World Cup Qatar™, with an expected audience reach of more than two billion people per tournament.
The agreement sees Qatar Airways become the Official Airline Partner of the FIFA Club World Cup™, the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, the FIFA Under-20 and Under 17 World Cups™, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™, and the FIFA Interactive World Cup™.
The airline’s partnership with FIFA builds on its existing sponsorship strategy with premier sporting clubs around the world. In March, Qatar Airways signed a five-year partnership agreement with leading German football team FC Bayern München AG, making the award-winning airline an FC Bayern München platinum partner until June 2023.
Qatar Airways also recently revealed multi-year sponsorship agreements with Italian football club AS Roma, for which it will become the Official Jersey Sponsor through the 2020-21 season; and with Argentinian football club Boca Juniors, for which it will become the Official Jersey Sponsor through the 2021-22 season.
Qatar Airways recently revealed a host of upcoming new global destinations, including the announcement that it will be the first Gulf carrier to begin direct service to Luxembourg. Other exciting new destinations to be launched by the airline include Tallinn, Estonia; Valletta, Malta; Cebu and Davao, Philippines; Langkawi, Malaysia; Da Nang, Vietnam; Bodrum and Antalya, Turkey and Málaga, Spain. Qatar Airways currently operates three daily flights between Moscow and Doha, in addition to a daily flight between St. Petersburg and Doha.
