Russian professional sport relies heavily on large companies. Some clubs belong to state corporations and industrial groups, the rest live on regional budgets and sponsorship contracts. Here is who sponsors the KHL and RPL, what sponsors get, and where smaller brands fit in.
The data below comes from open sources as of September 2026 and may change from season to season: contracts are renewed, partners come and go.
League sponsors
Leagues have a title partner whose name is part of the official tournament name. In the 2026/27 season these are the “FONBET KHL Championship” (FONBET has been the KHL title partner since 2022, with the deal extended to the 2027/28 season) and the “Alfa-Bank Russian Premier League”: Alfa-Bank replaced the Mir payment system from summer 2026 on a four-season deal. Besides the title, leagues have official category partners: banks, telecom, cars, drinks, kit. Bookmakers are among the most active sponsors in Russian sport overall, from leagues to individual clubs and festivals.
Who is behind the clubs
For many well-known clubs the main partner is also the owner or main source of money:
- Football. Zenit’s general sponsor is Gazprom. Spartak has been fully owned since 2022 by Lukoil, its general sponsor for 20 years before that. Lokomotiv belongs to Russian Railways
- Hockey. SKA’s general sponsor is Gazprom, and in 2026 Gazprom Neft joined the club’s ownership. CSKA belongs to Rosneft, which is also its general sponsor. Tatneft is the main sponsor of Ak Bars, MMK of Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Gazprom Neft has partnered with Avangard since 2009 and is a co-owner
For such companies sport is part of their work with the region, employees and reputation, not just advertising. Around the main partner each club has a pool of smaller sponsors: banks, developers, retail chains, drinks makers, food delivery.
Title, general and official sponsors
- Title. The brand name in the name of the team, arena or tournament. The most expensive status
- General. The main place on the kit and in all club materials
- Official partner or category sponsor. Exclusivity in its industry: official bank, official beer, official carrier
What a club sponsorship package includes
- A logo on the kit, boards, ice or pitch
- LED boards and spots on the arena screens
- Announcer mentions, match sponsor, player of the match award
- Club social media posts and broadcast integrations
- Boxes, tickets and player meetings for partners
- Arena promo: stands, sampling, prize draws
Almost all of this is about reach. How many fans did something after contact with the brand is usually missing from the report. For a giant that owns the club, that is not critical. For a regional bank or delivery service comparing sport with online advertising, it is.
Match advertising you can count
We run shows for clubs where the stands switch on flashlights via a QR code and glow to the music. After the show a sponsor promo opens in every participant’s browser. At the Krylya Sovetov vs Lokomotiv match, 1,493 of 9,000 spectators joined the show and 362 went on to the promo with Dodo Pizza prizes. Every step is visible via UTM.
For a club this is a new sponsorship item it can sell to a second-tier partner. For a brand it is a cost per contact comparable with digital channels. Details in the engagement breakdown and on the stadium advertising page.
FAQ
How to become a KHL or RPL club sponsor? Contact the club’s commercial department, ask for the partner deck and audience data. The steps are in the article on event sponsorship.
How much does match advertising cost? From a single screen spot to multi-million season contracts. A show with a post-show promo is priced by the number of spectators: for example, a match with 10,000 spectators costs 212,000 ₽.
Stadium formats in stadium advertising, hockey on the hockey show page.