The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, to be held in Australia and New Zealand in July and August, is billed as the biggest standalone women’s sporting event in the world and is expected to reach a total audience of two billion.
In a landmark agreement, Unilever’s personal care brands, including Rexona, Dove, Lifebuoy and Lux, are the official sponsors of the blockbuster event. The partnership will also include the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFAe Finals, marking the first time FIFA has teamed with personal care brands across women’s, men’s and FIFA esports.
FIFA and Unilever will also collaborate in FIFA’s Women’s Development Programme. Unveiled in 2020, the pioneering initiative was created to provide opportunities for women and girls and support the continued growth of women’s football around the world. Unilever will supply funding, human resources, and support for customised development programmes to fuel the upsurge in interest in women’s sports.
The new deal builds on Unilever’s current projects such as Rexona’s Breaking Limits Programme, which offers funding for community sports and helps young people to be more active. The Dove Self- Esteem Project, well-known in the beauty industry for inspiring body confidence in young girls, will also benefit. It has been hugely successful since it launched in 2004 and has reached 94 million young people to date.
Unilever has also committed to supplying over 80,000 gift packs of personal products to fans at FIFA events over the next several years.
Working with the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, our brands will connect with an enormous and highly engaged audience, said Fabian Garcia, Personal Care President at Unilever. “This is a significant opportunity for them to engage a growing audience of women’s football fans, demonstrate relevance, and build brand power, while promoting gender equality in sports and supporting future generations of female athletes”.
Unilever has some of the world’s biggest and most impactful consumer brands, and we’re incredibly excited for them to join us on our journey to Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, added Fatma Samoura, FIFA Secretary General. “2023 is going to be a landmark moment for women’s football, and Unilever is the ideal sponsor to help us grow the game globally – this year and beyond”.
Samoura is on the money. Rexona is the world’s number one anti-perspirant with annual sales of AUD$1.6 billion. Dove is Unilever’s largest brand and the number two health and beauty brand globally with a brand value of over US$5 billion.
Lux is the number one skincare cleansing brand in the world and the number two most-chosen beauty brand. Used by more than 200 million consumers in over 100 countries, annual sales are close to AUD$2 billion. Lifebuoy is the world’s fourth most chosen FMCG, according to Kantar’s Most Valuable Brands 2022 and is the best-selling germicide soap globally.
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