Crypto brands have increased their sports sponsorship spend by 20% year-on-year to $565M, according to the latest MarketPlace report from global sports marketing agency SportQuake.

Crypto.com remains the industry’s biggest spender, with landmark deals in the UEFA Champions League and Formula 1 taking its total expenditure to $213M. Coinbase and OKX follow in the top three spenders, while Gate.io entered the market in fourth place with a spend of $53M, notably announcing their first Formula 1 partnership with Red Bull and sleeve partnership with UEFA Champions League finalists Inter Milan.

Football remains the most popular sport for crypto exchanges, with 20 of the 34 new crypto sponsorships deals. In addition, investment from crypto exchanges into Formula 1 continued its upward trajectory to reach $174M annual spend, with six exchanges now active, up from four in the previous year.

Total annual spend on sports sponsorships is now just $120M off the high watermark of 2022/23, which saw $685M spent. 2025/26 spend is expected to return towards the 2022/23 peak, driven by a combination of incumbent brands spending more and a new wave of first-time spenders.

Matt House, CEO of SportQuake said: “The bulls are back! The crypto winter of 2022/23 seems a long time ago as crypto sports sponsorship spend bounces back towards all-time highs.

“Macro, all the growth is from football (soccer) and non-US spend as brands invest in global sponsorships and international markets while they wait to see President Trump’s US crypto policies.

“At a brand level, Crypto.com, Gate.io and Kraken stand out. Crypto.com consolidated their category leadership by adding the Champions League to its beautifully curated sports sponsorship portfolio. Gate.io’s super aggressive entry into sports went from $0- $53M in 12 months and Kraken added Tottenham Hotspur, Atletico Madrid and RB Leipzig sleeve sponsorships to their Williams Formula 1 deal.

“Looking ahead, key market signals suggest that crypto exchanges are likely to become major front of shirt buyers, as the Premier League’s ban on betting companies purchasing this inventory takes effect in the 2026/27 season.”

 

Explore the Crypto MarketPlace report: Key insights on Crypto sports sponsorship