Hyundai Motor's sponsorship of World Cup dates back 23 years

From left, Hyundai Motor founder Chung Ju-yung, Fmr. Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo and current Chairman Chung Euisun

By Kim Hyun-bin

The FIFA World Cup has been sponsored by major global partners, such as Coca-Cola, Adidas, and VISA, with the specific rule that only one sponsorship is allowed per company of the same industry. Korea's leading carmaker Hyundai Motor Group (HMG), which operates Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp. under its wings, is the sole sponsor of the World Cup among global automakers.

The World Cup is football's showpiece event and global festivity for athletes and fans around the world. The FIFA World Cup Final is watched live by 1 billion people worldwide.

HMG has been actively engaged in direct and indirect marketing showcasing the company's logo and products through various marketing activities, which are naturally exposed throughout the competition and help make Hyundai Motor not only a renowned domestic automobile brand but a global brand recognized by people throughout the world.

"In order to provide official vehicles for competitions held all over the world, a solidly established global sales network and proven products are required. There are not many global brands that meet this requirement, and among them, soccer is the most sincere, so Hyundai Motor Group is continuously sponsoring it," a Hyundai Motor Group official said.

HMG has witnessed its brand recognition increase by sponsoring FIFA for over two decades and now aims to embed the company's vision and image rather than the brand itself through the World Cup.

"As of 2022, our brand status has increased and most global customers recognize Hyundai Motor. We strive to use the World Cup as a platform to spread the brand's vision and image rather than simple sponsorship for brand/product awareness," a Hyundai Motor official said.

Hyundai Motor provided IONIQ 5 electric vehicles and electric buses as official vehicles for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

Push for eco-friendliness

HMG is going all out to showcase its eco-friendly image and message to the world at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The carmaker has provided 983 official vehicles as a sponsor of the World Cup, including 316 eco-friendly cars, becoming the first to sponsor electric vehicles (EVs) at the global football extravaganza. Hyundai Motor Group aims to use the World Cup as a stepping stone to establishing its image as the world's leading eco-friendly car manufacturer.

Hyundai Motor will provide 616 of the vehicles, including 446 passenger cars, RVs and 170 commercial vehicles, for the World Cup.

Over 220 of the vehicles are EVs, such as the IONIQ 5, G80 and GV70 electric models, and hybrid vehicles such as the Sonata Hybrid EV (HEV), Kona HEV, and Tucson HEV. Passenger vehicles and RVs are being used to transport VIPs and staff, while commercial vehicles are shuttling athletes and media personnel.

"This is meaningful in that we are the first eco-friendly car sponsor in the history of the World Cup," a Hyundai Motor official said. "With the Qatar World Cup as an opportunity, we will continue making efforts to take the lead in realizing carbon neutrality."

Kia, an official sponsor of the World Cup, also joins the Qatar World Cup with a global campaign featuring eco-friendly vehicles. During the tournament, the Hyundai Motor-affiliated firm is providing a total of 367 official vehicles, including 297 cars and 70 buses.

Among them, a total of 80 vehicles are eco-friendly vehicles, including the EV6 GT-Line (30), Sorento Plug-in Hybrid (30), and Niro Plug-in Hybrid (20).

England's legendary soccer player Steven Gerrard is the captain of Team Century, which includes K-pop sensation BTS, Korean soccer legend Park Ji-sung, and famous American fashion designer Jeremy Scott. Team Century members, in their respective areas of expertise, deliver messages and set eco-friendly goals to create a sustainable future for the planet and a carbon-neutral World Cup. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

'Goal of the Century' campaign

Hyundai Motor Company is conducting the 'Goal of the Century' campaign to create a sustainable future at the Qatar World Cup.

For this campaign, Team Century was launched in April. Team Century included legendary soccer player Steven Gerrard, global pop stars BTS, Korean soccer legend Park Ji-sung, and famous American fashion designer Jeremy Scott.

Team Century members, in their respective areas of expertise, deliver messages and set eco-friendly goals to create a sustainable future for the planet and a carbon-neutral World Cup.

"The Goal of the Century has two meanings. The first is a goal in soccer, and the second is to achieve the goal of saving the earth together," a Hyundai Motor official said.

Hyundai Motor Company has been talked about by people around the world since the opening ceremony.

BTS member Jungkook passionately sang "Dreamers," the official World Cup theme song, and overseas soccer fans boasted that the stage was made possible as HMG is an official sponsor of the event.

"Jungkook took the stage for the opening ceremony with the support of Hyundai Motor, a World Cup sponsor," a soccer fan wrote online. The fan claimed that Jungkook was able to stand on the stage of the opening ceremony as he is an advertising model for Hyundai Motor.

However, the claim turned out to be false as FIFA directly contacted Hive, BTS' management company, to recruit Jungkook without going through Hyundai Motor.

HMG has been in a partnership with FIFA since 1999 and officially started its sponsorship with the 2002 World Cup co-hosted by Korea and Japan. At the time of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Hyundai Motor held an invitational event in a small city called Manaus. The invitational event consisted of watching a soccer match, test-driving a Hyundai car, and taking an Amazon tour. Immediately after the program, Hyundai Motor's own analysis showed consumer loyalty increased by more than 100 percent
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Hyundai Motor drew attention by unveiling an airbag material exhibition hall during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France. The exterior of the exhibition hall for this World Cup was made of soil to ensure that the waste is returned to nature without causing environmental pollution in the process of disposing of the building after the World Cup is over.

Not only the World Cup, but HMG is strengthening its brand marketing through various sporting events. A prime example is its long-term sponsorship of Rafael Nadal, one of the world's leading tennis players from Spain.

Nadal has won a total of 20 championship trophies in the world's four major Grand Slam tournaments alone. Kia signed an official sponsorship contract with Nadal in 2004, and has been a close partner since then. Kia delivered an EV from its EV6 GT line to Nadal last year and accelerated the global marketing of eco-friendly cars.

Hyundai Motor's premium Genesis brand is a sponsor of major golf events. Genesis hosted the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open, and promoted the luxury brand to Europeans.