.jpeg)
Hankook Tire & Technology and its Qatar partner IMALCO have become official tyre partner of the Qatar Stars League for the 2026/27 season, giving the tyre brand exposure across more than 100 matches. The agreement adds another Middle East football property to Hankook’s sports-marketing activity while putting manufacturer-backed promotion behind an established local distribution relationship.
Hankook Tire & Technology has signed a partnership with the Qatar Stars League (QSL) for the 2026/27 season alongside local partner IMALCO, extending the tyre manufacturer’s use of football sponsorship to build consumer visibility in Middle Eastern markets.
The agreement was concluded in Doha on 18 August, with Hankook becoming an official tyre partner of the QSL. According to Hankook, its branding will appear across more than 100 matches during the season, including on pitch-side LED boards and big-screen advertising. The manufacturer also plans additional fan-focused marketing activities as it seeks to increase awareness of the Hankook brand in Qatar and the wider region.
The timing gives the company exposure from the beginning of the new domestic football campaign. The 2026/27 Doha Bank Stars League started on 20 August and features 12 clubs, including Al Sadd, Al Duhail and Al Rayyan.
Jong Woo Kim, Head of Hankook Tire’s MEA Region, described the agreement as a means of raising brand awareness in Qatar and engaging with local football supporters. IMALCO chief executive Aboo Backer Bavu, meanwhile, pointed to Qatar’s position as an international football market following the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
For the tyre trade, the significance lies less in the advertising inventory itself than in the involvement of Hankook’s local partner. The arrangement puts consumer-facing brand activity alongside an existing route to market rather than treating sponsorship as a standalone international branding exercise.
That distinction matters in the replacement tyre business, where consumer awareness still has to translate into availability, recommendation and purchase through distributors, retailers and workshops. The QSL partnership potentially gives Hankook and IMALCO a platform to connect national brand exposure with local customer activity during the season, although neither company has disclosed sales targets, marketing expenditure or expected commercial returns from the agreement.
The deal should therefore not be read as evidence by itself of a significant change in Hankook’s Qatar strategy. What it does demonstrate is continued investment in consumer-facing promotion in a market where the manufacturer already has local distribution in place.
Qatar also fits into a broader pattern of Hankook using football properties to build visibility across individual Middle Eastern markets.
Tyre News Media previously reported on Hankook’s three-year title sponsorship agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad FC, while the manufacturer announced another regional football agreement with Al Ain FC in the UAE in February 2026. That partnership was signed alongside local distributor Al Dobowi Group and similarly combines Hankook brand exposure with an established in-market distribution partner.
The Qatar agreement therefore adds another national touchpoint rather than establishing an entirely new marketing approach. Hankook also maintains a wider international sports portfolio spanning football, motorsport and golf, including Borussia Dortmund, European club football competitions and TGL in the US.
The manufacturer has simultaneously been expanding its tyre product activity in the Middle East. Tyre News Media previously covered the Middle East introduction of Hankook’s Ventus evo ultra-high-performance tyre, while Hankook’s regional operation markets passenger car, SUV and dedicated iON electric-vehicle tyre ranges.
For Hankook and IMALCO, the commercial test will be what happens after that visibility is established. Neither has disclosed how the partnership will be measured beyond brand awareness and consumer engagement, leaving open the more important tyre-industry question of how far large-scale sports sponsorship can generate identifiable replacement-market demand through local distribution and retail channels.
That is a question the 2026/27 season may provide an opportunity to examine, particularly if the partners connect match-day exposure with measurable dealer promotions, customer acquisition or tyre sales.
Tags: Hankook Qatar, Hankook Tire, IMALCO, Qatar Stars League, Doha Bank Stars League, Qatar tyre market, Middle East tyres, tyre distribution, football sponsorship, tyre marketing
Editorial Standards & Disclaimer
Tyre News Media is an independent industry publication. Our reporting is based on information available at the time of publication, including company announcements, regulatory filings, official data, research and other sources considered reliable.
Articles may include independent analysis and editorial interpretation. Where appropriate, company statements and third-party claims are attributed to their source. Analysis, estimates and forward-looking observations should not be read as statements of established fact.
Tyre News Media takes reasonable steps to ensure accuracy but welcomes corrections, clarifications and responses from organisations or individuals covered in our reporting. If you believe information is inaccurate or requires clarification, please contact info@tyrenews.co.uk. Material errors will be corrected as appropriate.
Commercial relationships, advertising and sponsorship do not determine Tyre News Media's editorial coverage or conclusions.
_0%20(1).png)
