Audi and FIS have extended their long-standing partnership until 2030
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation FIS and Audi have extended their long-standing partnership until 2030, FIS announced on 3 June 2026. According to that announcement, the agreement covers the cycle from 2026 to 2030, with Audi remaining the title sponsor of the FIS Alpine World Cup and the official partner of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. It is the continuation of one of the most recognizable commercial collaborations in alpine skiing, a sport in which Audi's brand has for years had a strong presence in start areas, along courses, in television broadcasts and on digital channels. In its announcement, FIS did not state the value of the contract or detailed financial terms, so the commercial reach of the new arrangement currently cannot be precisely assessed. It has been confirmed, however, that the cooperation will continue in the period leading toward the French Alps 2030 Olympic Winter Games.
The contract extension comes after the end of the 2025/26 season and several months after the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, which, according to data from the International Olympic Committee, were held from 6 to 22 February 2026. In the next four-year period, alpine skiing enters a new Olympic cycle, and FIS and Audi want to maintain continuity of visibility and organizational stability in the most important competitions. For FIS, this is important because the Alpine Skiing World Cup remains one of the federation's most exposed products, with regular television broadcasts, an international calendar and strong audience interest in winter sports countries. For Audi, it is a continuation of sports positioning in a segment in which the brand has for decades been associated with technology, performance and winter sports. The new contract is therefore not only a formal continuation of sponsorship, but also confirmation that both sides want to retain a long-term commercial platform in a sport with an exceptionally strong European base, as well as global media reach.
What the extended agreement includes
According to FIS's official announcement, Audi will continue to have the status of title sponsor of the FIS Alpine World Cup. This means that Audi's name will continue to be associated with the highest level of international alpine skiing, a competition that during the season brings together the best female and male skiers in disciplines such as slalom, giant slalom, super-G and downhill. Under the same arrangement, Audi also remains the official partner of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, which expands the partnership to world championships as the peak of the two-year competitive cycle in alpine skiing. FIS particularly emphasized that Audi's branding will continue to appear at competition venues, in television broadcasts and in the digital and online media space. This means the partnership continues to rely on three key visibility channels: the audience at the races themselves, viewers in front of screens and users of digital platforms.
FIS President Johan Eliasch described the partnership in the announcement as a relationship built on trust, shared values and long-term commitment to excellence. According to FIS, Eliasch emphasized that Audi had played an important role in the professionalization and increase of the global appeal of alpine skiing. Such wording shows that the federation presents the partnership not only as a marketing contract, but as part of a broader strategy for the development of the sport. In modern elite sport, commercial partners increasingly participate in building events, production quality, audience activations and logistical support, and not only in buying advertising space. That is precisely why the contract extension until 2030 gives organizers, national associations, television partners and race hosts greater predictability in planning the coming seasons.
One of the longest-lasting relationships in alpine skiing
FIS's description of the sponsor and partner shows that Audi has been present in alpine skiing for considerably longer than one contractual cycle. The federation states that the brand with the four rings has supported the Audi FIS Ski World Cup as title sponsor for more than two decades, while it has also participated in the world championships in alpine skiing as a presenting or main sponsor. According to the same FIS overview, Audi was involved in several editions of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, including competitions in Åre in 2019 and Cortina d'Ampezzo in 2021. Such history gives the new contract additional weight because it does not start from scratch, but builds on an already established brand recognition in the skiing environment. For the audience that regularly follows the World Cup, Audi's presence alongside the best-known courses has become part of the visual identity of the competition.
Audi previously, according to its own announcement from October 2022, extended its cooperation with FIS until the end of the 2025/26 season. At the time, the German car manufacturer emphasized that it remained FIS's exclusive automotive partner and that it continued cooperation with several national alpine teams. In that announcement, Audi also highlighted its connection with national ski associations in countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Norway and Sweden. The new agreement until 2030 is a logical continuation of that model because it extends continuity after the earlier contract and ensures that the partnership is not interrupted in the sensitive transition toward a new Olympic cycle. Although the terms of the new contract are not being made public, the time frame shows that this is a strategic decision, not a short-term sponsorship extension.
Why the partnership is important for FIS
According to FIS official data, the federation has 141 national ski association members, oversees more than 7,000 sanctioned ski and snowboard competitions annually and organizationally covers around 330 World Cup events on an annual basis. FIS manages the Olympic disciplines of alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, freestyle skiing and snowboard, as well as certain para disciplines. In such a system, commercial partnerships have a direct role in maintaining the international calendar, event standards and the global promotion of the sport. Alpine skiing occupies a special place here because competitions are held in demanding mountain locations, often with high organizational costs, complex logistics and the need for high-quality television production. A long-term partner such as Audi enables FIS to transfer part of its commercial stability into calendar planning and the promotion of top-level competitions.
The cooperation is also important for race hosts, because a strong title sponsor increases the value of the event for television companies, local organizers and other commercial partners. In its announcement, FIS emphasizes global visibility through venues, broadcasts and digital platforms, which is especially important at a time when sports audiences are increasingly fragmented between television, streaming services, social networks and official sports applications. Alpine skiing, unlike some indoor sports, also depends on the uniqueness of the location, weather conditions and images of mountain areas, so media presentation is an important part of the overall value of the product. The extension of the partnership until 2030 enables FIS to retain a recognizable visual and sponsorship framework in that segment. This is particularly important in a period in which winter sports simultaneously want to preserve tradition and attract a new, younger audience.
Audi gets the continuation of a global sports platform
For Audi, the partnership with FIS remains a platform that connects the brand with elite sport, technical precision and a winter environment. According to FIS's partner description, international winter sports represent for Audi a stage for presenting the sporting character, technology and dynamics of the premium brand. In earlier announcements, Audi also emphasized its role as a partner of national associations, athletes, the media and organizers, and not only as a financial sponsor. Such an approach corresponds to the modern model of sports marketing, in which brands seek to connect with the experience of an event and with the values of sport, and not only with a logo on an advertising surface. In alpine skiing, that connection is especially visible because competitions take place in an environment that strongly emphasizes speed, control, equipment technology and resilience in demanding conditions.
Audi's continuation of cooperation with FIS should also be viewed in the broader context of the automotive industry, which is going through technological and market transformation. Although FIS's announcement about the contract extension until 2030 does not go into the details of Audi's business strategy, Audi's earlier communications in sports marketing linked its presence in winter sports with electric models and mobility topics. In the 2022 announcement, Audi stated that, as FIS's exclusive automotive partner, it provides the vehicle fleet and thereby promotes sustainable premium mobility. The new contract does not confirm additional technical obligations or special programs, so it would be imprecise to claim that it brings new logistical or mobility services that have not been officially stated. What is confirmed is the continuation of brand and partner presence in FIS's most important alpine competition product.
The contract fits into the new Olympic cycle
FIS explicitly states in the announcement that the extension relates to the next Olympic cycle, from 2026 to 2030. That time frame is important because alpine skiing in the coming seasons enters a period of preparation toward the French Alps 2030 Olympic Winter Games. The International Olympic Committee announced that the French Alps were elected as host of the XXVI Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games at the 142nd IOC Session in Paris on 24 July 2024, with delivery guarantees to be resolved subsequently. In April 2025, the IOC announced that its Executive Board had approved the signing of the host contract after, according to the IOC, the French authorities had provided the necessary guarantees and the French parliament had approved the budget law. This means that the commercial cycle of FIS and Audi coincides with the period in which winter sports will build the path toward a new Olympic peak in Europe.
For alpine skiing, that context is particularly relevant because the Olympic cycle toward 2030 will likely increase interest in results, young athletes, national teams and World Cup races, which serve as the most important stage between major championships. After the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, which the IOC stated brought together around 2,900 athletes and included 116 medal events in eight sports, the attention of winter sports is gradually turning toward the French Alps. In such a period, FIS and Audi get the opportunity to maintain continuity of visibility through regular World Cup seasons and world championships. For athletes and national teams, this does not change the competition rules, but it affects the commercial environment in which competitions are presented to the public. A stable title sponsor can help maintain the recognizability of the series, especially in the period between Olympic appearances when the World Cup carries the largest share of alpine skiing's media presence.
Financial terms have not been published
Although FIS confirmed the extension of the partnership, the official announcement did not state the contract amount, the structure of rights, the duration of individual activation obligations or any potential changes compared with the previous arrangement. This is a common practice in sports sponsorship contracts, especially when details are considered commercially confidential. Therefore, at present it is possible to speak about the confirmed time frame and Audi's status as title sponsor of the FIS Alpine World Cup, but not about the financial indicators of the new contract. It has also not been officially confirmed whether the extension includes additional programs beyond the clearly stated rights to visibility and partnership alongside the World Cup and world championships. Such limitations are important to emphasize because the value of sponsorships in elite sport derives not only from the monetary amount, but also from media rights, logistics, on-site activations and digital distribution.
What has been confirmed is sufficient to assess the extension as a significant signal of stability for FIS's alpine segment. Audi retains its place at the center of FIS's most visible alpine competition, and the federation gets continuity with a partner whose visual identity is already deeply connected with the World Cup. In sports marketing, such continuity has special value because audiences, organizers and media partners recognize long-lasting brand relationships. In practical terms, the continuation of the contract means that in the seasons leading to 2030, Audi's sign will continue to appear at key points of alpine skiing, from the finish area and safety fences to television graphics and digital content. This confirms that FIS and Audi are entering a new phase without interrupting a partnership that has already shaped a large part of the modern presentation of alpine skiing.
Sources:
- International Ski and Snowboard Federation FIS – official announcement on the extension of the partnership between Audi and FIS until 2030 (link)
- International Ski and Snowboard Federation FIS – basic information about the organization, membership, disciplines and number of competitions under FIS authority (link)
- International Ski and Snowboard Federation FIS – overview of sponsors and partners and the historical context of Audi's role in alpine skiing (link)
- Audi MediaCenter – 2022 announcement on the earlier extension of the partnership with FIS until the 2025/26 season (link)
- International Olympic Committee – data on the schedule and scope of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games (link)
- International Olympic Committee – election of the French Alps as host of the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (link)
- International Olympic Committee – approval of the signing of the French Alps 2030 host contract after the delivery of guarantees (link)