**When Chelsea walked out at Stamford Bridge with FPT Corporation’s logo stitched onto their sleeves, it wasn’t just another sponsorship announcement — it was a symbol of Southeast Asia’s growing presence in the global football economy.**
The deal, which runs through the 2025/26 season, places the Vietnamese technology giant on the left sleeve of Chelsea’s men’s, women’s, and academy kits. It builds upon the partnership established in April 2025, when FPT was appointed as Chelsea’s Global Digital Transformation Partner.
Under that earlier arrangement, FPT has been helping the London club enhance its fan experience and back-end operations through artificial intelligence, data analytics, and digital transformation tools — areas in which Vietnam’s tech sector has been making major strides.
With its logo now on one of world football’s most recognisable shirts, FPT joins an exclusive circle of Southeast Asian brands that have left a lasting mark on the Premier League.
Southeast Asia’s involvement in English football isn’t new — but it’s often been shaped by a blend of national pride, business ambition, and personal ownership.
In the early 2010s, Queens Park Rangers (QPR) became a showcase for Malaysia, with then-owner Tony Fernandes placing his airline AirAsia on the club’s away shirts and Malaysia Airlines on their home kits.
Cardiff City, under Malaysian businessman Vincent Tan, carried the “Visit Malaysia” campaign across their kits, blending tourism promotion with top-flight visibility.
Further north, Leicester City’s rise to prominence was closely tied to King Power, the Thai duty-free retailer owned by the late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. The partnership became a defining symbol of the club’s identity and success. Leicester later deepened its Southeast Asian connection when Vietnam’s Bia Saigon became their sleeve sponsor in 2018 — making it the first Vietnamese brand to appear on a Premier League kit.
And long before these stories, Everton had already been a familiar sight to Thai football fans. Their 13-year partnership with Chang Beer, from 2004 to 2017, remains one of the longest shirt sponsorships in Premier League history — and a model for cross-cultural brand longevity.
Beyond the front of the shirt, a wave of training and regional sponsorships from Southeast Asia has expanded the league’s commercial footprint.
Carabao, the Thai energy drink, appeared on Chelsea’s training kits between 2016 and 2021, boosting its global visibility far beyond Asia.Garuda Indonesia became Liverpool’s official airline partner in 2012, later upgrading to training kit sponsor from 2014 to 2016.
Indosat Ooredoo, an Indonesian telecom operator, collaborated with Arsenal between 2015 and 2017 to enhance local fan engagement.
More recently, Tiger Beer, a Singaporean-born brand under Heineken, signed on as Manchester United’s official beer partner in 2024. In 2017, Khmer Beverages from Cambodia joined Manchester City as their regional beer partner, followed by Vietnam’s Wake-Up 24/7, which became City’s official energy drink partner in Vietnam in 2025.
These partnerships highlight the Premier League’s growing recognition of Southeast Asia as a strategic market — one defined by passionate fan bases and increasingly global-minded corporations.
With FPT’s logo now on Chelsea’s sleeve, Vietnam marks another milestone in its gradual integration into world football’s commercial landscape. While Bia Saigon broke ground as the first Vietnamese brand to sponsor a Premier League club, FPT’s involvement elevates that presence from consumer goods to high technology.
It’s a sign of how the region’s economic landscape is evolving: from breweries and airlines to digital innovators with international ambitions.
The Premier League’s global reach has long attracted brands looking to establish an international footprint. But the increasing number of Southeast Asian companies — from Thailand’s breweries to Vietnam’s tech firms — reflects something deeper: the region’s growing confidence and maturity in global marketing.
For Chelsea, the FPT partnership aligns with its vision of digital modernization and fan engagement. For Vietnam, it represents a new kind of visibility — one rooted in innovation rather than ownership.
And for Southeast Asia as a whole, it’s a reminder that the region is no longer just watching the Premier League — it’s becoming part of its story.