BKT has extended and expanded its sponsorship of the United Rugby Championship through 2030, becoming the competition’s Official Global Tyre Partner and continuing as Title Partner in Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales while adding South Africa to its footprint. The deal gives the URC multi-year commercial certainty across all five principal territories and all 16 teams, and signals BKT’s growing international sports investment and commitment to fan, grassroots and community initiatives.
BKT Extends United Rugby Championship Partnership Through to 2030 Sep 21, 2026 | News Freeview , Rugby , Sponsorship The United Rugby Championship has secured valuable long-term commercial certainty with the confirmation that BKT will extend and expand its partnership with the competition through to 2030. The relationship began in 2022 with a focus on the Northern Hemisphere and will now extend across the entire URC footprint, with BKT becoming the competition’s Official Global Tyre Partner. The company will continue as Title Partner of the BKT United Rugby Championship in Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales, while the expanded agreement brings South Africa fully into the partnership for the first time. It means BKT will now have a presence across all five of the Championship’s principal territories and alongside all 16 participating teams. The new agreement will also continue the focus on fan engagement, grassroots initiatives, and community programmes developed during the partnership’s first four years. The extension comes as the URC prepares for the start of the 2026/27 season and provides the Championship with commercial certainty around one of its most visible partnership assets for another four years. BKT has been steadily increasing its international sports portfolio, with partnerships extending beyond rugby into football and cricket. Its relationship with the URC is particularly interesting because the competition’s geographic spread connects audiences in Europe and South Africa through one property. “BKT’s decision to expand its partnership with the United Rugby Championship to a global level is a significant milestone for our league and a strong endorsement of the growth and international potential of the URC,” said CEO Martin Anayi. “What began in 2022 as a successful Northern Hemisphere partnership has continued to grow, and we are delighted that BKT will now extend its investment across all five of our territories, now including South Africa, while continuing as our Title Partner in the Northern Hemisphere.” “This expansion reflects the confidence BKT has in the URC, our clubs and our passionate supporters, and creates exciting new opportunities to connect with rugby communities across both hemispheres.” “BKT has become an important part of the URC family, and we are excited to build on that relationship as we continue to grow the competition and its global audience.” “A special thanks must go to Lucia Salmaso, whose belief in the URC and genuine passion for rugby have been instrumental in growing this partnership. We look forward to taking the next chapter of our relationship to a truly global level.” Sport for Business Perspective BKT came into the United Rugby Championship in 2022, has now had four years to assess what it delivers, and has responded by expanding the relationship geographically and committing through to 2030. Sports rights holders naturally make plenty of noise about new sponsorship agreements. But renewal is often the more revealing metric because the sponsor has access to audience data, activation results, and internal measures of whether the investment is working. The United Rugby Championship and all four of the Irish Rugby Provinces are full members of Sport for Business. If you would like to be part of the Sport for Business community and see your organisation in our content, on our stages, and in the conversation happening every day around the commercial world of Irish Sport, email us today and let’s see what is possible. Image Credit: URC ABOUT SPORT FOR BUSINESS Sport for Business is Ireland’s leading platform focused on the commercial, strategic and societal impact of sport. It connects decision-makers across governing bodies, clubs, brands, agencies, and public institutions through high-quality content, events, and insights. Sport for Business explores how sport drives economic value, participation, inclusion and national identity, and how your story can be part of ours. Through analysis, storytelling and convening the sector, it helps leaders understand trends, share best practices, and make better-informed decisions. It positions sport not just as entertainment but as a vital contributor to Ireland’s social and economic fabric. Find out more about becoming a member today. Or sign up for our Daily Sport for Business Snapshot email bulletins to get a flavour of the material we cover. Sign up for our News Bulletins here. Share:
Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: sportforbusiness.com
BKT, United Rugby Championship, Sport for Business, Irish Rugby Provinces, URC
BKT: BKT is the competition's Official Global Tyre Partner and will continue as Title Partner of the BKT United Rugby Championship in Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales, with its partnership extended and expanded through to 2030.
United Rugby Championship: The United Rugby Championship is the professional rugby competition that has secured a long-term commercial partnership extension with BKT through to 2030 and spans five principal territories with 16 participating teams.
Sport for Business: Sport for Business is Ireland’s leading platform focused on the commercial, strategic and societal impact of sport that connects decision-makers through content, events, and insights and notes that the United Rugby Championship and all four Irish Rugby Provinces are full members.
Irish Rugby Provinces: The four Irish Rugby Provinces are collectively full members of Sport for Business and are stakeholders in the United Rugby Championship's commercial ecosystem.
URC: URC refers to the United Rugby Championship, a cross-hemisphere rugby competition whose geographic spread connects audiences in Europe and South Africa through one property.
This article is part of Prism's real-time sports business intelligence radar, which tracks sponsorships, partnerships, media rights, stadium deals, and investments across global sports. View the full intelligence profile for each company to access active analysis modules, deal timelines, and connected company networks.