FIFA is therefore proud to announce that with Castrol, today, another major global company has joined up as a FIFA World Cup Sponsor until 2014.

The partnership represents by far the largest sponsorship deal that the global lubricants company has entered into in its 100-year history - a further indication of the faith put into South Africa and Brazil as hosts of the next two FIFA World Cups.

Todays partnership awards Castrol global rights for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and the two FIFA Confederations Cups that fall within the 2008-2014 period. With Castrol we are delighted to welcome a committed football supporter into our global sponsorship family. The FIFA World Cup, with more than 26 billion TV viewers, attracts massive involvement from fans and non-fans alike who are drawn to the drama and excitement that comes with top national-team football. With its new Performance Index Castrol enhances the fans experience with exclusive data on the players speed efficiency and performance in matches. "The index was developed with renowned football experts such as Arsne Wenger, Ottmar Hitzfeld and Emilio Butragueo and it underlines Castrols passion for the game" said FIFA President Joseph S Blatter before adding, "this agreement not only highlights FIFAs confidence in South Africa and Brazil as the host nations but also shows that the global business community believes in the incredibly positive impact the events will have".

Castrols main sponsorship emphasis lays on the new Castrol Performance Index with which it showcases the importance of the brands core values of passion, technical progress and performance in an innovative and fascinating manner.

"I chose to work with Castrol because its football sponsorship goes beyond simply ticket promotions and branding. The development and launch of a new performance index was something that really interested me and I was impressed by the way they used their experience in improving vehicle performance to champion the objective measurement of players and teams", commented Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger Castrols headline ambassador.

FIFAs commercial hierarchy comprises six FIFA Partners, six to eight FIFA World Cup Sponsors and six National Supporters. The six members of the FIFA Partners category are adidas, Coca-Cola, Emirates Airline, Hyundai, Sony, and Visa. Only two slots are left in the second-tier FIFA World Cup Sponsors.