Uber, the personal mobility company, has announced its partnership with The International Cricket Council as the official sponsor of the ICC Men’s World Cup 2019.
The partnership will make Uber the first mobility and food delivery app to strike a sponsorship deal with the ICC for the Men’s Cricket World Cup, which will be played in England and Wales from May 30 to July 14 with an estimated global viewing audience of 1.5 billion.
Uber’s campaign ‘This World Cup, Every Fan Wins’ aims to create a culture of togetherness and puts cricket lovers at the heart of the celebration, which includes the World Cup’s first and very own anthem ‘Way-O, Way-O’.
The anthem is sung by acclaimed artists across five participating countries and will give ardent fans a signature song to cheer on and celebrate the sport. Uber will fly down hundreds of driver and courier partners, as well as riders and eaters, to the Men’s Cricket World Cup and will also host a series of activities to foster a spirit of solidarity at the tournament.
Brooks Entwistle, Chief International Business Officer, Uber, said, “We’re excited to further our commitment to cricket as a global sport and bring our community of riders, eaters, drivers and delivery partners closer to each other and a game they love so much. Cricket is passionately followed in eight participating countries, where Uber and Uber Eats are an integral part of people’s day-to-day life. We believe this partnership allows fans to pursue their passion while we take care of their commute and food requirements.”
He added, “We are thrilled to launch the World Cup’s first-ever anthem, which puts fans at the heart of this celebration. We are very confident the anthem will resonate with hundreds of millions of cricket lovers across the world.”
Commenting on the partnership, Manu Sawhney, ICC Chief Executive, said, “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Uber for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019. Their commitment to cricket was clear during last year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup where the brand brought to life some of the wonderful stories behind the players with the #RoadSheMade campaign. Uber has some equally exciting plans for this summer’s event and shares our ambition to make this the greatest celebration of cricket ever.”
India captain and Uber brand ambassador, Virat Kohli, said, “I’m delighted that Uber and the ICC are once again partnering to support cricket and what it stands for — inclusion, togetherness and celebration. I’m confident this World Cup will exceed everyone’s expectations and further enhance the incredible global love and support for the game.’’
Last year, in line with the company’s initiative to empower girls and women around the world, Uber supported the first ever standalone ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies. As a part of this partnership, Uber rolled out the #JerseyKnowsNoGender campaign in collaboration with sports personalities from different fields to encourage women’s participation in sports and to also generate support for the T20 Championship.
The semi-finals will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester and Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 9 and 11, respectively, while Lord’s will host the final on July 14.
Eleven venues across England and Wales will be used. The 10 teams in the tournament will play against each other in a single-league format, with the top four sides after 45 matches to qualify for the two semi-finals.