The news: American Express will be the National Football League’s official payment partner starting with the 2026 NFL season, per a press release.

• Cardholders will get access to on-site activations and exclusive promotions.
• Amex Presale Tickets will be available for cardholders for international NFL events. 
• The issuer will host a pop-up experience at the NFL Draft, replete with card member priority lanes and lounge experiences.
• Amex and the NFL will launch the NFL Extra Points American Express Credit Card later this year with boosted rewards and exclusive experiences for NFL events.

How we got here: Amex has been steadily investing in sports leagues for marketing. The issuer notched partnerships with the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins to procure exclusive experience for its members and exposure to future customers. 

This helps Amex compete with competitors like Chase, Mastercard, and Visa, which have also deepened their sports presence through tie-ups with FIFA and the Olympics.

Why this matters: Both live and digital sport viewership is set to rise over the next few years, with our forecast anticipating 166.5 million and 137.1 million viewers by 2029, respectively. 

For brands wanting to secure loyalty and transactions from millions of football fans, sports sponsorships offer a powerful halo effect: 65% of consumers are more likely to purchase from companies that sponsor sports they like—a 7 percentage point increase from 2022, per Sports Business Journal’s Sports Sponsorship Performance survey.

Implications for payment providers: Strategic alignment with sport franchises can offer significant dividends for acquisitions and payment volume. While partnerships with marquee sport franchises like the NFL and NBA are worth pursuing, franchises growing more rapidly, like the WNBA (where ads hold a 40% greater impact on consumer engagement), are a key opportunity for providers to seize sports-related spend and turn new fans into new accounts.