Olympique de Marseille Extends Côte d’Ivoire Tourism Partnership Following 2026 Tour.

Roger Hampel

Image: Olympique de Marseille

Olympique de Marseille has extended its partnership with Sublime Côte d’Ivoire through 2029, expanding a three-year relationship built around tourism promotion, shirt sponsorship and the French club’s growing presence in West Africa.

The renewal covers three additional seasons and follows OM’s first-ever first-team tour of West Africa, held in Côte d’Ivoire from 15 to 18 July 2026.

Under the new agreement, Sublime Côte d’Ivoire — the national tourism development programme led by the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Leisure — will receive increased visibility on the sleeve of Marseille’s first-team shirt. The partnership will also include digital campaigns, dedicated Ligue 1 match activations at the Orange Vélodrome and further events in Côte d’Ivoire involving the club.

Three-Year Partnership Extended Following Côte d’Ivoire Tour Marseille

Olympique de Marseille and Sublime Côte d’Ivoire began working together in summer 2023.

The relationship now enters a second phase following a July tour that brought OM’s players, coaching staff and executives to Côte d’Ivoire. The trip represented the first visit by Marseille’s professional first team to West Africa and combined football with tourism, cultural and community programming.

OM played Yamoussoukro FC at the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan as part of its pre-season preparations.

The club delegation also visited the Case des Enfants operated by the Children of Africa Foundation, the Dominique Ouattara Mother and Child Hospital in Bingerville and the Cémoi chocolate facility in Abidjan.

The programme gave Côte d’Ivoire an opportunity to showcase tourism, culture and parts of its wider economy through content generated around one of France’s most followed football clubs.

Sublime Côte d’Ivoire Strengthens Shirt Presence

The most visible commercial change under the renewed agreement will come through the first-team shirt.

Sublime Côte d’Ivoire will receive increased sleeve visibility, placing the destination brand within one of Marseille’s principal sponsorship assets throughout the season.

The partnership will also extend across OM’s digital channels and matchday environment.

Each of the next three seasons is expected to include a dedicated Ligue 1 fixture at the Orange Vélodrome highlighting Côte d’Ivoire, creating a recurring activation in Marseille alongside campaigns designed for digital audiences.

Further events are also planned in Côte d’Ivoire, with regular participation from Olympique de Marseille.

French agency Entourage Paris will continue to work on the partnership.

Football as a Tourism Marketing Platform

The agreement places OM within Côte d’Ivoire’s international destination-marketing strategy.

Sublime Côte d’Ivoire is designed to promote the country as a tourism destination, and the Marseille partnership is specifically aimed at audiences in France and wider European markets.

Côte d’Ivoire also has established links with French football through generations of players and supporters. The July tour gave the partnership a physical presence inside Côte d’Ivoire. The renewed sponsorship now provides year-round exposure through the shirt, stadium activations and digital media.

Executive Comments

Siandou Fofana, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Tourism and Leisure, said:

“The renewal of our partnership until 2029 opens a new stage in our cooperation. By giving Sublime Côte d’Ivoire increased visibility, we are affirming our ambition to sustainably promote Côte d’Ivoire as a destination to French and European audiences and strengthen its international reach.”

Stéphane Richard, President of Olympique de Marseille, said:

“It is with great pleasure that we announce today the renewal of our partnership with Sublime Côte d’Ivoire until 2029.”