New York City FC Announces Visit Tampa Bay as Official Tourism Partner for 2026 MLS Season.

Roger Hampel

Image: New York City FC

New York City FC has announced a new tourism partnership with Visit Tampa Bay, naming the destination marketing organisation an Official Tourism Partner of the club for the 2026 Major League Soccer season.

The agreement was launched alongside NYCFC’s preseason training camp in Tampa, creating immediate alignment between sporting operations and destination promotion, and positioning the partnership within the club’s seasonal narrative from the outset.

Preseason Alignment and Activation Timing New York City FC

Visit Tampa Bay will activate across NYCFC’s digital channels and in-stadium assets, using the club’s audience to promote the region as a leisure and travel destination. Planned initiatives include destination-led content, matchday visibility and fan promotions offering trips to Florida’s Gulf Coast.

By embedding Visit Tampa Bay into preseason coverage, NYCFC provides contextual relevance that links the destination directly to team preparation, lifestyle and season kickoff narratives.

Executive Comments

Ara Sarajian, Vice President of Partnership Development at New York City FC, said:

“Kicking off this partnership while our team is in Tampa for preseason creates a strong connection between the club and the destination. Tampa Bay offers a wide range of experiences, and we see this as an opportunity to bring that story to our fans throughout the 2026 season.”

Santiago C. Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, added:

“New York City FC provides access to one of our most important domestic markets. This partnership allows us to present Tampa Bay as a travel destination to MLS fans in New York, across the United States and internationally.”

U.S. Cities in Football Sponsorships

The NYCFC–Visit Tampa Bay agreement sits within a wider trend of U.S. cities using football sponsorships as tools for international destination marketing. Over the past decade, American destination brands have increasingly partnered with global football clubs to access global broadcast reach and emotionally engaged audiences.

High-profile examples include Juventus partnering with Visit Detroit in 2025, which became the first U.S. destination brand to appear as a front-of-shirt sponsor in Serie A. Similar models have been seen with Experience Kissimmee working with Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United, Visit Lauderdale collaborating with Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Visit Tampa Bay previously activating with clubs such as Norwich City and Brentford FC.