Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media/@AudiOfficial on X

James Barker

Mon 30 March 2026 10:21, UK

West Ham United are reportedly trying to strike a front-of-shirt sponsorship agreement with worldwide automotive manufacturer Audi for the 2026-27 season onwards.

From next season onwards, the Premier League is making a major rule change regarding the visibility of gambling sponsors.

It will become law in England’s top flight that teams can no longer brandish a gambling company as their front-of-shirt sponsor, which is currently what 11 sides have.

That means that there’s currently a lot of work being done within these clubs to arrange new sponsorship agreements, but it’s understood that many are facing the reality that they’ll lose significant revenue due to the change.

West Ham are one of these 11 teams, and as such, will be hoping to strike the best financial deal they can find before the start of the 2026-27 season, so as not to open the campaign with a blank space on their shirts.

West Ham among Premier League sides eyeing Audi sponsorship

The Tourism Authority of Thailand have been linked with West Ham as a potential new front-of-shirt sponsor, and are understood to have already travelled to the London Stadium recently to discuss a possible deal.

However, companies may well be somewhat reluctant to commit to anything with the Hammers until they know whether they’ll be sponsoring a Premier League or Championship team next season.

So, West Ham chiefs may have to put together their best possible sales pitch in order to convince potential new sponsors to ink a deal before the end of the season, which is what they’ll ideally want to do.

One such possible new partner has been revealed on Monday, because as per a report from the Daily Mail, world-renowned vehicle manufacturer Audi are said to be on West Ham’s front-of-shirt wishlist.

It’s claimed that the Hammers have held talks with the German company, but it’s also stated that numerous other Premier League clubs are also eyeing them up for a sponsorship deal too.

West Ham could capitalise on Audi’s sports branch out

As one of the world’s most instantly recognisable vehicle, and indeed brands in general, Audi would be a huge coup for West Ham as their new front-of-shirt sponsor.

However, it is perhaps likely that they’ll have to be a Premier League outfit in order to stand a realistic chance of any potential deal making sense from Audi’s perspective.

The German automotive manufacturer have already made a major branch out into the world of sport already in 2026, as they’ve joined the Formula 1 grid as a new team for the 2026 season.

With that, it’s clear that Audi are looking to expand their visibility and influence in the sporting world, and so they may well be very much up for inking an agreement with West Ham so long as they remain in the Premier League for next season.