TLDR
- Circle Internet Group has become Chelsea FC’s new principal front-of-shirt sponsor, starting with the 2026/27 Premier League season.
- The USDC branding will appear on Chelsea’s Men’s, Women’s, and Academy shirts.
- Financial terms were not disclosed, though Chelsea was reportedly targeting £65 million ($88.3 million) per year for the slot.
- This is the first time a crypto financial services firm has become the principal shirt sponsor of a Premier League club.
- Circle is FCA-authorized via an e-money license, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for the deal.
Circle Internet Group has struck a deal to put its USDC stablecoin branding on the front of Chelsea FC’s shirts, starting this Sunday when Chelsea host Brighton in their first home Premier League game of the 2026/27 season.
Circle 🤝 @ChelseaFC
USDC is coming to global football.
Circle is proud to partner with Chelsea FC, one of the most recognized football clubs in the world.
Beginning with the 2026/27 season, Circle and USDC will appear on the front of Chelsea’s Men’s, Women’s, and Academy… pic.twitter.com/RYgh9rtylg
— Circle (@circle) August 28, 2026
Circle’s stock (CRCL) was trading at $94.24 at close ahead of the announcement.
The deal makes Circle the first crypto financial services company to hold a principal shirt sponsorship at a Premier League club. Previous crypto deals in the league have been sleeve sponsorships. OKX sponsors Manchester City’s sleeves, and Kraken sponsors Tottenham Hotspur’s.
The front-of-shirt slot had been empty at Chelsea for three years. The club had been looking to fill it for some time.
Chelsea was reportedly targeting £65 million ($88.3 million) per year for the berth. Neither Chelsea nor Circle confirmed the financial terms of the deal. For context, OKX reportedly paid $70 million per year for its Manchester City sleeve deal back in 2023.
A First for the Premier League
The USDC logo will appear on the Men’s, Women’s, and Academy kits. Chelsea Women are also moving to Stamford Bridge this season, so the brand will feature prominently across the club.
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire framed the partnership as a natural fit. “We built USDC on the belief that money should work seamlessly for everyone everywhere, the way the internet does,” he said.
Chelsea President Jason Gannon called it a step toward “football’s digital evolution.”
Regulatory Clearance Already in Place
One thing that helped this deal get done without friction: Circle is already authorized by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) through an e-money license it has held since 2016.
That matters because the FCA warned Premier League clubs in June about partnering with unauthorized crypto firms, saying such deals could breach financial promotion rules.
Circle clears that bar. That makes it a cleaner partner for Chelsea than many crypto companies would be.
USDC is the world’s second-largest stablecoin by market cap. The first Premier League game featuring the new kit is this Sunday against Brighton at Stamford Bridge.
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