For the fourth season in a row, English Premier League club Chelsea FC have had to wait until after the league schedule has started to announce a new front-of-shirt sponsor, though this time around it was significantly earlier than previous years.
Chelsea introduced the Circle Internet Group as their new front-of-shirt sponsor on Friday, August 28, and debuted kits with the logo for the company’s stablecoin, USDC, in their match at home against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, August 30.
“Circle is changing how money moves around the world, and we’re changing what it means to be a global football club. That’s real alignment, not just in values but in our shared ambition to lead on a global stage. This is more than a logo on a shirt, it represents a partner who’s building something. We’re excited to see what we can build together.”
— Todd Kline, President of Commercial, Chelsea FC
The yellow printing of the sponsor logo matches the piping and other logos on Chelsea’s 2026-27 royal blue home kits, made by Nike. That kit also features the club’s new crest — which was quietly rolled out in late June — woven into the fabric on the front.
Circle and USDC logos will appear on the front of the jerseys for all Chelsea teams this season, including the men’s, women’s and academy teams.
The space on the front of Chelsea’s shirt has been a revolving door of sponsor logos over the past four seasons, with the club playing at least one match without a front-of-shirt sponsor in each of those seasons:
Prior to that, the front of Chelsea’s shirts featured the logo of Irish telecom company Three. But that deal ended in 2023, partly due to concerns over then-club owner Roman Abramovich’s ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The deal with Circle is believed to only be one year long, with an option to extend. So we here at SportsLogos.net might be writing another story about yet another front-of-shirt sponsor for Chelsea come 2027-28.
