The second half of 2026 has recently begun, and the sports marketing market in Italy confirms its expansion phase: sports sponsorships are worth €1.127 billion according to the 25th StageUp and ChainOn Predictive Survey 2026, up 3.5% compared with 2025 and driven by the Milano Cortina Olympics effect, live events, digital rights and the expansion of emerging disciplines such as combat sports and eSports. In a sector where the brand of a team, athlete or event is worth as much as the sporting result, choosing a marketing agency is not tactical: it is strategic. Below are the best marketing agencies for the sports sector in Italy in 2026, selected for their approach, documented case studies and ability to operate across brands, events and digital performance in the sports world.
Analysis methodology
The agencies included in this overview were selected based on qualitative criteria and market observation, considering: documented specialization in the sports sector, quality of the strategic and creative approach, ability to integrate brand communication, events, sponsorships and digital performance, presence of case studies with recognizable brands or events. The selection covers different types of clients, sports brands, sports clubs, events, sponsor brands, to provide a useful map for organizations with different objectives.
The 10 best sports marketing agencies in Italy (2026)
| # | Agency | Sports specialization | Strength | Location |
| 1 | Bliss | Brand advisory, sports nutrition communication, combat sports, motorsport, events | Yamamoto Nutrition, BKFC Italy, VR46, Dance Academy (PA) | Rome, Milan |
| 2 | Havas Play | Sponsorship, integrated sports marketing, fan engagement, brand activation | Proprietary S.E.S. (Sponsorship Evaluation System); BKT, AC Milan, Saugella | Milan |
| 3 | Movantia Sports | Sports management, digital, brand licensing, sponsorship, sports events | 30+ years of sports marketing; champions, teams and brands, from strategy to activation | Bologna |
| 4 | Isola di Comunicazione | Digital sports marketing, athletes, teams, federations, event organizers | Google Premier Partner 2025 (top 3% of Italian agencies); exclusive specialization in sports | Milan |
| 5 | LGS SportLab | Athlete management, sponsorship, ambassadors, corporate and sports events | Management of professional athletes and ambassadors; omnichannel sports influencer marketing | Italy |
| 6 | CSport Marketing | Integrated sports communication, events, field marketing, federations | Strong relationships with federations, clubs and organizers; Walking Week, Running Academy | Milan |
| 7 | 7 Sport Agency | Sponsorship search, sports influencers, communication, sports partnerships | Tour de France Italy, Cesena FC, Vero Volley; international sponsor network | Italy |
| 8 | MOAB | Sports marketing, events, PR, multimedia experiences, sustainability | Specialization in sports events and brand experience; storytelling + technology approach | San Marino |
| 9 | SWS Agency | Sports social media, communication for associations and sponsors, online visibility | Social media and digital communication management for sports associations and sponsor brands | Italy |
| 10 | Cose Agency | Sports marketing, digital and web for clubs, events, sports-related brands | Rome focus; digital marketing and web for local sports clubs and sports brands | Rome |
Why sports marketing requires specific expertise
Sports marketing is not generalist marketing applied to sport. It operates according to its own dynamics: fan emotions are not activated in the same way as those of traditional consumers, the sports calendar determines peaks of visibility with a precision no other sector has, and brand association with an athlete or team produces reputational effects, positive or negative, with a speed that no advertising campaign can replicate or contain.
The most effective sports marketing agencies integrate three distinct levels: brand positioning, how the brand connects to sport in a credible and advantageous way; activation of the sports asset, how a sponsorship or event is transformed into real content, visibility and engagement; and digital performance, how to measure and maximize the return on every activity linked to sport. Those who oversee only one of the three always work at a disadvantage.
1. Bliss, Brand advisory and sports communication (Rome and Milan)
Mentioned by Repubblica, La Stampa, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno and Milano Finanza, Bliss is a branding and communication agency with offices in Rome and Milan. In the sports sector, the portfolio covers four distinct segments. With Yamamoto Nutrition, an Italian sports nutrition brand, Bliss developed brand advisory and communication strategies in a highly competitive market such as supplements and athletic performance. With BKFC Italy, the Italian chapter of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, Bliss supported the launch of the first official tournament in Italy, held in Florence: production of the official event video, on-site presence for professional photographic coverage, and brand positioning for the Italian combat sports market. With the VR46 brand, the sports and lifestyle universe founded by Valentino Rossi, Bliss managed visual communication and event coverage, overseeing the brand identity within the context of Italian motorsport. With the National Academy of Dance, a public institution of excellence, Bliss built the social strategy that generated more than 850,000 views in one month, demonstrating the ability to digitally position institutional sports organizations. For details: Bliss case studies.
2. Havas Play, Integrated sports marketing and proprietary evaluation system
Havas Play is the sports and entertainment division of the Havas Group, operating from Milan with an integrated approach covering sponsorship, brand activation, fan engagement and the organization of sports events. The competitive differentiator compared with traditional sports marketing agencies is S.E.S., Sponsorship Evaluation System: a proprietary system for evaluating and measuring the value of sports sponsorships, which makes it possible to quantify return on investment with objective data before, during and after the campaign.
The Havas Play portfolio includes significant collaborations in the Italian and international sports landscape: BKT as sponsor of European football championships, AC Milan for brand experience and fan engagement activations, and Saugella for sports and wellness events such as the Saugella Run & Fun in Milan. The combination of a proprietary measurement system and integrated creative capabilities makes Havas Play particularly suitable for structured brands that want to optimize sports marketing budget allocation on a data-driven basis.
3. Movantia Sports, 30 years of sports marketing: from strategy to activation
Movantia Sports is one of the longest established players in Italian sports marketing, with more than 30 years of activity, making it one of the pioneers of the sector. Its approach covers the entire sports enhancement cycle: sports management for athletes and teams, digital sports marketing, brand licensing, sponsorships, events, activations and analytics. Movantia’s distinctive feature is its integrated system connecting the strategic dimension (who you are, what you represent, who you speak to) with the operational one, how each sports asset is activated across digital and physical channels.
Brand licensing is the area where Movantia has built its most specific expertise: transforming the identity of an athlete, team or federation into a licensing system that generates economic value across product categories beyond the core sporting activity. A particularly relevant capability for athletes and sports brands that want to build commercial assets independent of the competitive season.
4. Isola di Comunicazione, Digital sports marketing with Google Premier Partner
Isola di Comunicazione is the Milan-based agency with the most vertical specialization in digital marketing for the sports sector, recognized as a Google Premier Partner 2025, placing it among the top 3% of the best-performing agencies in Italy. The specialization is exclusive: athletes, teams, federations, event organizers and brands with interests in sport, with an approach that maximizes digital visibility and builds engagement with fans, enthusiasts and commercial partners through SEO, SEM, social advertising and Google Ads campaigns calibrated to the specific characteristics of sport.
The advantage of an agency that works only in sport is its understanding of the sector’s timing dynamics: event seasonality, traffic peaks during competitions, real-time athlete reputation management on social media. Skills that a generalist agency must acquire for every client; Isola already has them built in.
5. LGS SportLab, Athlete management and omnichannel sports influencer marketing
LGS SportLab specializes in the management of professional athletes and sports ambassadors, with an approach that integrates athlete management, sponsorship search and management, ambassador activation for brands and the organization of corporate and sports events. Its specific expertise lies in connecting the world of athletes with that of brands: LGS SportLab identifies the sports personalities best suited to representing a brand, based on values, audience and communication style, and builds the journey that transforms an athlete brand partnership into a measurable and consistent sports influencer marketing system.
The omnichannel approach distinguishes LGS SportLab from traditional athlete management agencies, which often oversee only the contractual dimension of sponsorship: LGS activates the sports asset across all relevant channels, social, events, traditional media, ensuring that the brand receives real visibility, not only potential visibility.
6. CSport Marketing, Integrated sports communication for federations, clubs and events
CSport Marketing is a Milan-based agency specializing in integrated communication for the sports sector, with strong relationships with federations, sports clubs and event organizers in Italy. Its expertise covers sports field marketing, event management, institutional communication for federations and support for sports clubs in building a coherent public presence. Key projects include Walking Week and Running Academy, mass participation sports events that combine active participation, local communication and sponsor activation.
CSport’s strength lies in the network of relationships built over time with the Italian federation system, a dimension that requires years of continuous work and cannot be improvised. For brands that want to enter the sports world through federation institutions, or for federations that want to professionalize their communication, CSport Marketing offers direct access that is difficult for agencies outside the system to replicate.
7. 7 Sport Agency, Sponsorship search, sports influencers and international partnerships
7 Sport Agency specializes in creating innovative sports sponsorship formats and finding partnerships between brands and national and international sports properties. The portfolio includes relevant agreements across different sports: presence in the Tour de France Italy, jersey sponsorship with Cesena FC, partnerships with Vero Volley, one of the most visible volleyball clubs nationally, and a network of contacts with international sponsors that makes it possible to build agreements with reach beyond the Italian market.
In addition to traditional sponsorships, 7 Sport Agency operates in the sports influencer space, working with athletes and sports creators with significant digital audiences, as a channel for distributing brand messages natively and authentically to sports audiences. An approach that combines the visibility of physical events with the digital amplification of industry influencers.
8. MOAB, Sports events, brand experience and sustainability from San Marino
MOAB is a sports marketing agency based in San Marino specializing in sports events, PR, multimedia experiences and sustainability communication in the sports context. MOAB’s differentiator is its approach combining storytelling and technology in the construction of sports brand experiences: every event is not only an opportunity for visibility, but a narrative system that produces content usable across digital channels before, during and after the competition.
The sustainability component is an increasingly relevant asset in sports marketing in 2026: major events need to communicate their environmental and social practices in a credible and verifiable way, not as greenwashing. MOAB oversees this dimension with specific expertise, supporting event organizers and sponsor brands in building a sustainability narrative that stands up to scrutiny from industry media.
9. SWS Agency, Sports social media for associations and sponsor brands
SWS Agency specializes in sports social media marketing, with a specific focus on managing digital communication for sports associations and sponsor brands in the sports world. Its expertise covers the production of social content suited to sports audiences, language, formats, frequency, platforms, and the management of online visibility for organizations and brands operating in sports contexts of different scales.
For amateur and semi-professional sports associations, which often do not have the resources for an internal communication team, SWS Agency offers a professional service calibrated to the financial resources of these organizations. For sponsor brands, it manages the communication of their involvement in sport across digital channels, maximizing the visibility of the sponsorship investment beyond simple logo exposure.
10. Cose Agency, Digital and web sports marketing for clubs and brands in Rome
Cose Agency is a sports marketing agency based in Rome, specializing in digital marketing, web marketing and communication for sports clubs, event organizers and brands with interests in sport. Its Rome-based positioning makes it a reference point for sports clubs in central and southern Italy that want a partner with direct knowledge of the local sports environment, from Serie D to five-a-side football, from swimming to amateur basketball, without having to turn to northern agencies distant from local dynamics.
Services include website development and management for sports clubs, digital marketing campaigns for events, social media management and integrated communication consulting for brands that want to associate themselves with local sport. A suitable choice for those seeking concrete results with budgets proportionate to the scale of the project.
How to choose the right sports marketing agency
Brand that wants to measure sponsorship ROI with objective data: Havas Play has a proprietary system, S.E.S., for sponsorship evaluation. Isola di Comunicazione, Google Premier Partner, applies a data driven approach to digital sport.
Sports event that needs video production and communication: Bliss has documented case studies on BKFC Italy, official event video, photographic coverage, brand positioning, and VR46 events in motorsport.
Sports/nutrition brand or institutional sports organization that wants to build its digital brand: Bliss, Yamamoto Nutrition, National Academy of Dance, Isola di Comunicazione and SWS Agency operate at this level with approaches calibrated to different budget scales.
Brand looking for an athlete ambassador or sports sponsorships: LGS SportLab for athlete management and ambassadors; 7 Sport Agency for sponsorship search and international partnerships, Tour de France Italy, Cesena FC, Vero Volley.
Federation or club that wants to structure institutional communication: CSport Marketing has established relationships with federations and clubs in Italy; Movantia Sports has 30+ years of sports management for teams and institutions.
New Connections (FAQ)
What is sports marketing?
Sports marketing is the set of communication, sponsorship, event, and digital marketing activities applied to the world of sport, both as a tool for brands that want to associate themselves with sports properties, marketing through sport, and as a system for enhancing the image of teams, athletes, federations, and event organizers, marketing of sport. In the second half of 2026, sports sponsorships alone in Italy are worth €1.127 billion, StageUp, ChainOn, and cover football, motorsport, basketball, rugby, combat sports, winter sports, and emerging disciplines such as padel and eSports.
How much does a sports sponsorship cost in Italy?
Costs vary enormously depending on the sports property. A jersey sponsorship in Serie B football starts from €50,000 to €200,000 per year. A sponsorship in Serie A can exceed €1 million. In motorsport, a MotoGP presence as a technical partner starts from €200,000 to €500,000; as a main sponsor it can exceed €5 million. For local sports events or smaller disciplines, costs start from €10,000 to €30,000. In any case, sponsorship cost is only one component: activation, how visibility is transformed into content and conversion, is often worth as much as the sponsorship itself.
How is the ROI of a sports sponsorship measured?
The ROI of sports sponsorships is measured on several levels: media value, the value of generated media exposure, calculated in hours of visibility on TV and digital; brand awareness and brand association, measured with surveys before and after the campaign; digital engagement, followers acquired, interactions, traffic to the brand website; commercial activations, leads, sales, partnerships generated by the event. The most advanced agencies use sports intelligence systems with automatic AI powered logo exposure tracking.
What does sports sponsorship activation mean?
Activation is everything done to transform the visibility of a sponsorship into real value: content on the brand’s social channels during the event, hospitality for key clients, advertising campaigns using the sports association, production of videos and photos during the competition, fan experiences. A sponsorship without activation is a logo on a jersey: it has exposure value but does not build relationships. The industry rule is to invest at least 1:1 between sponsorship cost and activation budget.
What are the sports marketing trends in 2026?
Six main trends are driving the second half of 2026: the Milano Cortina Olympics effect, which in 2025 generated 17.9% of total sports investment in Italy and continues to drive the sector; growth in sports sponsorships, which reached €1.127 billion, +3.5% compared with 2025, source StageUp and ChainOn; eSports and gaming, with a young, global and highly engaged audience; growing women’s sports, with increasing sponsorship investment in women’s football, volleyball and other sports; combat sports and emerging disciplines such as MMA, kickboxing and bare knuckle, with highly engaged audiences and still low advertising CPMs; AI in exposure measurement, with automatic logo tracking during TV broadcasts via computer vision.
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