Puma Ends Sponsorship of Israel Football Association

Puma has decided to end its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA) in December 2024, citing a broader shift in its sponsorship strategy rather than external pressures. The company is implementing a “fewer-bigger-better” approach, focusing on partnerships with fewer national teams to maximize brand impact. While Puma stated that this decision was unrelated to boycott campaigns, the move has been celebrated by the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which has criticized Puma for supporting the IFA, partly due to its inclusion of teams in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The BDS movement has been campaigning against Puma since 2018, accusing it of complicity in supporting Israeli policies that violate international law. Activist pressure intensified following escalations in Gaza during late 2023, leading to additional boycotts of Puma products by several organizations and retailers​

This decision underscores the increasing complexity of corporate sponsorships amid sociopolitical controversies.