Leandro Petersen, former Chief Marketing Officer of the Argentine Football Association, took to the Super Stage at the MEO Arena during SBC Summit 2026 to discuss international sports brand growth.
Petersen was joined by Argentine football legend and ex-goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea for a panel titled “The Global Expansion of the AFA Brand,” which drew significant attention from industry delegates.
The conversation centred on the international expansion of sports brands and the strategic journey the Argentine Football Association has undertaken since 2017.
Petersen drew on his more than 20 years of experience across sports and marketing to outline what he sees as the critical ingredients for building a successful global sports brand.
A central theme throughout the discussion was the importance of understanding regional differences, with Petersen stressing that cultural nuances demand tailored strategies for each individual market.
He argued that accumulated knowledge and deep market understanding represent one of the most valuable contributions any agency can offer to federations, athletes, and commercial partners.
The panel also turned its attention to the role of audiences, which Petersen described as the central force driving the entire sports marketing ecosystem across every level of the industry.
He explained that while athletes seek genuine connection with their fans, companies pursue new audience growth, and federations focus on building long-term loyalty among their supporter bases.
“They are the ones we seek to win over, in a sense,” Petersen said, referring to the public, encapsulating the shared objective that unites all stakeholders operating within the sports sector.
The panel arrived at a particularly meaningful moment in Argentine football history, with the national team having claimed the 2022 FIFA World Cup before returning to the final in 2026, where they finished as runners-up.
The AFA’s commercial and marketing evolution since 2017 has mirrored the team’s rise on the pitch, making it one of the most closely studied federation branding stories in global sport today.
The SBC Summit 2026 continues to serve as a key meeting point for the gambling, sports betting, and broader sports entertainment industries, bringing together influential voices from across the global market.
