Chelsea Football Club has announced a multi-year global partnership with IFS, describing the agreement as a move to place advanced artificial intelligence at the heart of its football performance and operations.
In a statement published on its website on Friday, the Premier League side said IFS would be elevated to Principal Partner with immediate effect and would feature on the club’s front of shirt for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.
The announcement comes after Chelsea operated without a permanent principal shirt sponsor since their partnership with telecommunications company Three ended in 2023.
Under the new arrangement, IFS branding will debut on the men’s team shirts for Saturday’s Premier League clash against Burnley at Stamford Bridge.
It will also feature on the women’s team kit for Sunday’s Women’s Super League fixture against Manchester United.
The Blues had previously featured short-term front-of-shirt partners, including sports technology firm Infinite Athlete and property developer Damac.
The club said the collaboration marked the beginning of a long-term relationship aimed at embedding AI across football performance, operational excellence and fan engagement.
IFS, described as the world’s leading provider of Industrial AI software, delivers AI-driven solutions to organisations to address complex operational challenges.
Under the agreement, the company will deploy its software and AI agents at Chelsea to improve precision across the club’s operations.
Chelsea stated that the partnership would enhance performance “in almost every aspect of the club’s work”, adding that the use of AI would connect people, assets and intelligence in real time.
