Singapore-based Ant International has announced a partnership with the Argentina National Football Team, becoming an official sponsor of the team in the Asia region, excluding the Middle East.

In a Monday press release, Ant International said the agreement would give it marketing rights to conduct promotional activities using the intellectual property of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the Argentine national team. The activations will be carried out across the company’s brand portfolio, including Alipay+, Antom, Bettr, and WorldFirst.

Ant International provides cross-border digital payment, treasury, and digitalization services for merchants and financial institutions. Its payment and account services network connects more than 150 million merchants with around 1.8 billion consumer accounts across the Asia-Pacific region through the integration of over 300 payment methods.

Peng Yang, CEO of Ant International, said the partnership aims to connect sports audiences with digital services across Asia.

The Argentina National Football Team is the reigning champion of the FIFA World Cup and has won the tournament three times, in 1978, 1986, and 2022. Claudio Fabian Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association, said the collaboration is intended to expand the team’s reach to audiences in Asia. Leandro Petersen, AFA’s chief commercial and marketing officer, added that the partnership reflects the organisation’s strategy to strengthen its presence in the region.

Ant International reaches over 2 billion transactions across key emerging markets in 2025