Circle Puts USDC on the Front of Chelsea’s Shirts in Principal Partnership

Circle’s Internet Group will put its name and USDC branding on the front of Chelsea Football Club’s shirts from the 2026/27 season, a principal partnership announced on Friday that makes its on-pitch debut on Sunday, August 30, when the men’s side hosts Brighton in their first home Premier League match of the campaign.

The agreement covers the Men’s, Women’s, and Academy kits. Neither company disclosed the value or length of the deal, though Chelsea’s commercial executives had reportedly held out for £60 million to £65 million a year for the slot; reports and rumors put the reduced asking price at around £45 million.

“We built USDC on the belief that money should work seamlessly for everyone everywhere, the way the internet does. Partnering with Chelsea connects us with a global sports community built on that exact same borderless vision,” said Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder and CEO of Circle.

Shirt Front Almost Empty Since 2023

Interestingly, Chelsea last began a season with a front-of-shirt partner in 2022/23, the final year of telecoms firm Three’s contract.

Sports data company Infinite Athlete filled the slot for the remainder of 2023/24 in a deal ESPN put at £40 million, Dubai property developer DAMAC appeared late in 2024/25, and industrial AI firm IFS carried the shirt from February to the end of last season.

Chelsea opened the current campaign with a blank shirt front for a fourth consecutive year.

“Circle is changing how money moves around the world, and we’re changing what it means to be a global football club. This is more than a logo on a shirt, it represents a partner who’s building something,” said Todd Kline, President of Commercial at Chelsea FC.

The branding also reaches the women’s team as it moves into the 40,000-capacity Stamford Bridge. “We are excited to introduce Circle and USDC to the Chelsea Women family for our inaugural season at Stamford Bridge,” said Aki Mandhar, CEO of Chelsea FC Women.

USDC Circulation Tops $73 Billion

Circle reported $73.3 billion of USDC in circulation at the end of the second quarter, up 19% year over year, alongside $14.8 trillion in on-chain transaction volume for the three months. The company, which completed its IPO in the second quarter of 2025, is preparing a September 16 public mainnet launch for its Arc blockchain, with BlackRock, Visa and Mastercard among the founding validators.

Similarly, Tether, issuer of the rival USDT stablecoin, took a minority stake in Juventus and later lodged a binding all-cash offer for Exor’s 65.4% controlling stake in the Italian club, a buyout the holding company rejected within a day.