More Fans in Mumbai than Manchester: Tapping into India's Football Audience

When Barcelona and Real Madrid faced off in El Clásico a couple of weeks ago, over 20 million Indians tuned in, to watch Barcelona settle the LA LIGA in their favour after a gap of couple of years. This wasn't a fluke. Football has quietly become India's second-most-watched sport, with a fan base exceeding 150 million passionate followers who represent an untapped goldmine for brands seeking authentic connections with a young, digitally-savvy audience. Let us take a closer look at how marketers can utilise this opportunity. 

India's Football Evolution: From Local Legends to Global Stage 

India's football story isn't new. Historic clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have cultivated fierce regional loyalties for over a century. The Kolkata Derby regularly draws 100,000+ spectators, making it one of Asia's most attended sporting events. 

Yet despite this rich tradition, Indian football remained primarily a regional phenomenon until recently. What changed? The explosive growth of international football content through television, OTT platforms, and social media has transformed how Indians engage with the sport. 

Furthermore, the emergence and increasing popularity of the Indian Super League (ISL) since 2014 has resulted in significant investment, professionalism, and global visibility into the domestic football scene, further fueling fan engagement with the sport. 

Today's young Indian sports fans are as likely to wear a Messi jersey as they are to debate cricket selections. This shift presents a strategic opportunity for brands to connect with an audience that increasingly identifies with football's global appeal. 

La Liga: Spain's Powerful Gateway to India's Sports Enthusiasts 

Among European leagues, La Liga has made extraordinary inroads into the Indian market. The Spanish league's viewing figures tell a compelling story: a television audience of 2.52 billion worldwide, 168 million social followers, and 1.7 billion digital engagements annually. 

La Liga's strategic focus on India as a priority growth market isn't accidental.

The league recognized early that India's young population, increasing disposable income, and growing appetite for premium international content created perfect conditions for expansion. 

For brands, this means La Liga offers something uniquely valuable: association with premium global sports properties that have successfully cultivated dedicated Indian audiences. 

Winning Brand Plays: Success Stories from the Pitch 

Forward-thinking brands are already capitalizing on international football's appeal in India. BKT Tires, an Indian multinational, transformed from a regional manufacturer to a global brand partly through its strategic La Liga partnership. The company reports 40% increased brand awareness in key European markets while simultaneously strengthening its premium positioning at home. 

Dream11's collaboration with La Liga helped the fantasy gaming platform acquire over 2 million new users during a single tournament season. By offering Indian fans deeper engagement with international football, they've created a continuous cycle of engagement that extends beyond match days. 

Puma's "Suede Gully" campaign brilliantly connected football culture with Indian street culture, featuring La Liga stars alongside local talent. The campaign generated  millions of organic views and drove an increase in sales in their lifestyle category among 18-25 year-olds. 

Tactical Playbook: How Brands Can Score with Football Partnerships (like La Liga) 

For marketers looking to tap this growing opportunity, these proven tactics offer the clearest path to success: 

• IP Usage: Access to La Liga IP rights for usage across analog, digital, and the physical medium 

• Local Activations: Create unique co-branded match screenings that bring the distant excitement of European matches in the Indian context 

• Legends & Influencers: at your brands service, to create engagement opportunities for your consumers 

• Exclusive La Liga goods: Align product releases with high-profile fixtures to utilise peak attention periods 

• Grassroots Initiatives with International Partners Stars: Use visits from globally recognized coaches & players to conduct school programs and community events that connect local fans with their heroes while building lasting brand associations 

• ‘Your Brand’ Cup & Dream: Meant for your local consumers, to let them partake the La Liga dream, both virtually and physically 

• Money Can’t Buy Experience: VIP Tickets, Stadium Tour, Playing Arena Access, Clasico & Derbies, only the sky is the limit! 

These approaches work because they recognize a fundamental truth: Indian football fans don't just watch matches, they're actively seeking connections to a global football community. 

The Zupotsu Advantage: Your Direct Link to a European Partners’ Indian Fanbase 

For marketers looking to connect with India's youth demographic, build a premium brand image, and create genuine emotional connections with consumers, the rising popularity of European football presents a great opportunity. The passion and growing engagement surrounding leagues like La Liga offer a vibrant alternative to traditional advertising channels, thus delivering measurable results. 

For marketers seeking youth relevance, premium brand positioning, and emotional consumer connections, international football, particularly through La Liga, delivers measurable results that traditional advertising channels simply cannot match. 

Ready to develop a winning football marketing strategy that makes use of La Liga's powerful appeal in India? Contact Zupotsu today to discuss how we can craft targeted campaigns that connect your brand with one of Europe’s most prestigious leagues. 

Zupotsu is a martech platform on a mission to ‘digitize’ sports marketing. Zupotsu enables the discovery, engagement, and evaluation (the ‘DEE’ framework) for every sports and esports marketing asset. Please sign up at www.zupotsu.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram. Reach out at ‘marketing@zupotsu.com’ for any queries.