Chelsea and FansMall agree to regional deal in China

Fansmall & Chelsea

Premier League side Chelsea have teamed up with FansMall, China’s largest sports trading card platform – on a multi-year deal that will see them becoming Chelsea’s official trading card & sports collectibles partner in Greater China.

Founded in 2019, FansMall provide a variety of services around sporting collectibles and cards – which includes a retail platform, a trading platform, social media communities, and card collector apps. Its operations include the development of trade ecology for ball card collections, sporting brand promotions, production of media content, and much more.

FansMall Founder Sebastian Zhao said via press release:

“FansMall is honoured and delighted to establish a long-term partnership with Chelsea FC, one of the most respected and beloved football clubs in China with a winning culture and a fine tradition of success,” he said.

“As the club’s Official Trading Card & Sports Collectibles Partner in Greater China, FansMall is dedicated to bringing the best trading card collectibles to fans and collectors and we will release an exclusive selection of Chelsea trading card products for this season and the seasons to come.”

In recent years, Chelsea has established a strong presence in Greater China, led by the club’s regional Asian headquarters in Singapore. They were able to hold pre-season games in Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau. FansMall will create a collection of Chelsea-themed trading cards for the Greater China market via this partnership, and Chelsea’s fanbase in China will have access to exclusive merchandise such as signed memorabilia and match-worn shirts.

Chelsea President of Business, Tom Glick, added via press release:

“We are delighted to welcome FansMall as our Official Trading Card & Sports Collectibles Partner in the Greater China region. FansMall is a fantastic addition to our family of partners at Chelsea FC and we look forward to working closely with them and introducing our fans in Greater China to their highly impressive range of exclusive Chelsea-theme cards and collectibles.”

The partnership will expand Chelsea’s already massive fan following in China, and along with partners such as FansMall creating innovative sporting collectibles to give a global audience a unique experience, this will eventually lead to setting up a better ecosystem for sporting services and products in the near future.

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How James Johnson Is Shaping Canada Soccer’s Billion-Dollar World Cup Commercial Future

Canada Soccer has confirmed a renewed long-term commercial agreement with Canadian Soccer Media and Entertainment, marking a significant reset in the federation’s revenue strategy as the country prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The updated partnership extends CSME’s control of Canada Soccer’s commercial rights, including sponsorship, broadcast and media licensing, while introducing revised financial terms designed to provide the federation with greater long-term revenue certainty and growth potential. The agreement replaces a previous deal that faced heavy scrutiny from players and stakeholders over concerns surrounding commercial valuation and distribution of revenues.

CSME, led by Group Chief Executive James Johnson, played a central role in renegotiating the structure, which aims to better align commercial returns with the sport’s accelerating domestic and international profile. The revised framework is expected to support increased investment across national team programs, commercial development and broader football growth initiatives.

The agreement arrives at a pivotal moment for Canadian football, with momentum building across both men’s and women’s programs and global attention increasing ahead of 2026. Securing a more sustainable commercial model is viewed as critical to ensuring the federation can maximise opportunities generated by hosting football’s largest tournament.

The renewed partnership also signals a shift toward long-term commercial planning, providing Canada Soccer with a more stable financial platform as it looks to strengthen its competitive standing and expand participation nationwide.

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