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For the Argentine Football Association, that question involves South Florida real estate, over 50 multinational sponsorship deals, and a digital-first brand strategy.
In an exclusive interview with Telemundo, AFA’s Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer Leandro Petersen laid out how the federation has spent the past nine years transforming itself from a national sports body into a global commercial brand.
Building the brand beyond one player
AFA has signed over 50 multinational sponsorship deals since 2020. Petersen described what he called “exponential growth” of the AFA brand worldwide.
The federation is making an aggressive push into the US market. AFA has launched “AFA USA,” a dedicated operation that includes facilities in South Florida. The organization plans to invest around $10M in training fields in North Bay Village, a small island municipality nestled between Miami and Miami Beach.
The fan token question
AFA has already ventured into the digital asset space through fan tokens. The Argentine federation’s token launched on the Socios platform, the same ecosystem that powers fan tokens for FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and dozens of other major sports organizations.
Messi’s financial importance to the federation is enormous, and Petersen acknowledged as much, while noting that the goal is to build systems that don’t depend on a single individual.
The federation is reportedly hopeful that Messi will participate in the 2026 World Cup, which would be held across the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Youth development as a financial strategy
AFA is implementing strict youth selection policies designed to retain value from player development in Argentina, ensuring that when Argentine clubs develop world-class teenagers, the financial benefits don’t immediately flow to European clubs that swoop in with transfer offers.
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