With the Canadian men’s team set to resume its path to the 2022 FIFA World Cup this week, GE Appliances has joined the roster as Canada Soccer’s first official appliance partner.

The multi-year partnership will take effect in time for Canada’s first World Cup qualifying match on Thursday. To begin, the sponsorship will include in-stadium branding and signage during home matches, as well as broadcast integration. PR, digital and social media executions will follow in the months ahead.

The partnership takes GE Appliances’ existing support of soccer to the national level. In 2020, it signed a deal with Toronto FC to land a space on the team’s jerseys, which it followed with sponsorships with the Vancouver Whitecaps and, the following year, Montreal FC.

Bob Park, chief of brands for GE Appliances Canada, says the company’s goal with the sponsorship is “to go beyond being a typical corporate sponsor” and activate in a way that helps the development of soccer at all levels within Canada. In addition to its team sponsorships, GE Appliances has also developed academy programming for youth players and CSR programs in communities where its teams and programs operate.

The Canadian Men’s National Team has been enjoying a surge of popularity due to new success it earned on the pitch last year, which has translated into ratings. The team’s path to qualify for the World Cup last fall regularly beat out broadcasts from both the CFL and NHL, with its win over Mexico drawing 1.153 million viewers for Sportsnet.

The sponsorship was negotiated by Canada Soccer Business, which represents both Canada Soccer and the Canadian Premier League for corporate opportunities and media rights. Last week, it brought fruit snack brand GoGo Squeez on as as sponsor for both of the Canadian national soccer teams and the Canadian Premier League.