Brazil's Football Confederation (CBF) is now seeking advertisers for the Copa do Brasil directly and is accepting only one betting operator as sponsor.
This is the first time CBF has dropped the intermediary agency that previously handled the tournament's commercial operations. The move follows adjustments to the competition as a product and the recent announcement of broadcast rights winners for the 2027-2030 cycle.
Among the priorities driving the approach, two stand out. The first is brand diversity across sponsorship categories, meaning no more than one advertiser per sector, a deliberate move away from what officials describe as the current "overdose" of betting brands across Brazilian sports sponsorship.
The goal isn't to avoid betting sponsors altogether, but to limit the tournament to a single betting advertiser across its commercial properties.
CBF Vice-President Michelle Ramalho has previously defended the national regulated betting sector, arguing licensed operators are being unfairly blamed for issues like match-fixing and gambling harm.
The second priority is signing brands that add value to the product itself, meaning established, reputable names, reducing exposure to lesser-known advertisers and the reputational risk that comes with associating the competition with brands that could damage its image.
To achieve this, CBF says it's willing to move away from maximizing short-term revenue in favor of being more selective, betting that a stronger brand image for the Copa do Brasil pays off over time.
Recently, Brazilian lawmakers have advanced two bills that would ban betting sponsorships in football and impose sweeping restrictions on gambling advertising nationwide.
Brazil's National Consumer Secretariat has recently formalized the creation of a working group dedicated to combating abusive practices in the fixed-odds sports betting market
