Why don’t Chelsea have a shirt sponsor?

Chelsea are the only Premier League club to start the 2025-26 season without a matchday shirt sponsor after Nottingham Forest agreed a partnership with American gambling firm Bally’s.

There is an ongoing competitive process for the front-of-shirt sponsor with Chelsea believed to have had offers, but focused on aligning with the right long-term partner.

The club is aiming to strike a deal worth £60m-£65m per season following qualification for the Champions League and winning the revamped Fifa Club World Cup.

New Saudi Arabia airline Riyadh Air have been strongly linked to a potential sponsorship.

Enzo Maresca’s side had no front-of-shirt sponsor last season until the end of April when they were sponsored by Dubai-based property company Damac.

In the 2024-25 campaign, 11 top-flight teams had a gambling sponsor on their matchday shirt, an increase of three from the previous campaign.

None of the Premier League’s six wealthiest clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham – feature a gambling firm on the front of their shirts.

Premier League clubs also collectively agreed in 2023 to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of their kits by the end of the 2025-26 season.

They have been allowed to secure new shirt-front deals this season before the deadline, but will still be able to continue featuring gambling brands in areas such as shirt sleeves and LED advertising in the future.

Under-18s are not allowed to wear shirts with gambling sponsors, meaning young players have featured in games with sponsor-free jerseys.

The ban from next season follows a consultation between the league, its clubs and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of the government’s ongoing review of current gambling legislation.

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