Facebook has become the first official social media services supplier of the Rugby World Cup France 2023.
The platform is supporting the tournament’s mission of making Rugby World Cup France 2023 a ‘moment of sharing and celebration’ in a deal to launch AR photo filters, LIVEs and other moments to create excitement around the event and reach a new generation of rugby fans.
Claude Atcher, CEO of France 2023 commented: “This collaboration will allow us to be even closer to rugby fans and offer them new innovative experiences. Together we will share our passion for rugby, our values and engage with new rugby enthusiasts around the world.”
To mark the start of the partnership, Facebook is livestreaming an exclusive ‘Two years to go’ show tonight at 18:00 CET, where fans will have the opportunity to “go behind the scenes” of Rugby World Cup 2023 on the road to the opening match between hosts France and three-time champions New Zealand at the Stade de France.
Laurent Solly, VP of Facebook Southern Europe, added: “We will enable Rugby fans from around the world to come together on our platforms to celebrate their passion, connect with their favorite teams and players and share the values of respect and community that are core to Facebook and Rugby World Cup.
Facebook also plans to contribute to the tournament’s legacy by providing free digital training to 3,000 young apprentices as part of Campus 2023, which aims to train the new generation of French sports professionals, and leave a legacy of new resources to sports clubs and regional leagues.
“Contributing to the local community is equally important to Facebook and we are also delighted to be part of the Campus 2023 programme and will mobilise our employees and experts to provide digital training to future sports professionals,” Solly added.
In 2019, Facebook made the first steps to having a greater emphasis on sporting content, which included a global reconstruction to it’s sports division in order to elevate it’s exclusive sports partnerships and content. Since then the platform’s presence in the sports space has continued to grow, having struck deals with the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Soccer (MLS).
