Official | French top flight rebranded as Ligue 1 McDonald’s from next season | OneFootball

From July 2024, the French top flight will be officially rebranded as Ligue 1 McDonald’s after the LFP came to an agreement with the American fast food empire for the naming rights of the league for the next three seasons.

Vincent Labrune the president of the LFP has welcomed the agreement, “At a time when enthusiasm for Ligue 1 has never been so strong, notably with record crowds in the stadiums, welcoming an international brand like McDonald’s into the home of French professional football constitutes a very strong signal of the attractiveness of Ligue .”

While, the President of McDonald’s France, Jacques Mignault, comments “McDonald’s and Ligue 1 is a partnership that makes perfect sense. With family or friends, there are always many supporters of Ligue 1 clubs who associate a McDonald’s moment with a Ligue 1 day. Building on this close bond, we intend to help enable an even larger number of fans of football to fully live their passion.”

This deal marks an end to a four-year partnership with Uber Eats after the delivery service failed to match the offer put in place by McDonald’s. It’s a deal that is expected to net the competition 30 million per year which would be a clear increase from the €15-16 million agreement that the league previously had with Uber Eats.

Uber Eats reportedly were keen to decrease the amount that they were investing in the league, which was a worrying prospect for a division that has struggled to bring in outside investment. The LFP have struggled to sell their domestic television rights recently. Even cancelling its bidding process after broadcasters did not meet its minimum asking price.

This injection of cash from McDonald’s comes at a necessary time for a league that is in desperate need of investment while its market looks to be shrinking.

GFFN | Nick Hartland