Sponsorship spending in Canada has reached $4.7 billion, with brands planning to increase their investment further next year, according to the latest Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study.
The 2026 edition of the annual study marks the 20th anniversary of the national sponsorship industry benchmark. It found that brands are committing more money to rights fees across categories, while also putting greater emphasis on evaluating whether sponsorship investments are delivering results.
“Twenty years ago, there was no Canadian-specific data for this industry to plan against. Today, the CSLS provides the numbers that brands, properties and agencies use to benchmark their decisions,” said Dr. Norm O’Reilly, partner at T1 and lead author of the CSLS, and professor and director of The Sponsorship Lab at the University of Florida. “This year’s findings show an industry that keeps maturing, from record investment in evaluation to how quickly brands moved on FIFA 2026.”
Professional sport continues to account for the largest and most significant sponsorships, but the study found that brands are spreading spending across a broader range of categories.
Cause sponsorship has become the second-largest category by share of budgets and the third-largest in total sponsor spending, representing a major shift over the past decade, the study said.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup was also a factor for Canadian brands, with numerous activations planned around the tournament, according to the study.
At the same time, the research identified several challenges for the sector. Sponsorship’s share of Canadian brands’ marketing communications budgets has declined to 21 per cent from 25 per cent over the past five years, even as overall sponsorship spending has increased.
Brands also reported that property servicing of sponsorship partners fell short of expectations this year. Return on investment remains the top issue for brands, properties and agencies, with the focus increasingly on maximizing the value of sponsorships and demonstrating their effectiveness.
Sponsors and properties are forecasting a 12 per cent increase in spending next year, while agencies are taking a more cautious view of future billings.
Evaluation has also become a greater spending priority. The study found that brands are spending more on evaluation and pre-sponsorship evaluation than at any point in the CSLS’s 20 years of tracking, indicating greater pressure on sponsorship investments to demonstrate their effectiveness.
“Twenty years of data confirms what we see every day: sponsorship succeeds when it earns a real place in people’s lives, not just visibility on a logo board,” said Lindsay O’Brien, vice-president, partnerships, T1 and co-author of the CSLS. “This year’s findings on evaluation and servicing tell us brands and properties are being held to that higher bar, and the ones investing in real relationships with their communities, not just rights fees, are the ones getting rewarded.”
The 20th annual study is based on responses from 188 Canadian brands, properties and agencies, including 114 brands, 50 properties and 24 agencies.
The research tracks the size and scope of the Canadian sponsorship market, spending by sector, activation trends, evaluation practices and the industry’s future direction.
The study is produced by O’Reilly, with co-authors O’Brien and Mike Alcorn, alongside the Sponsorship Marketing Council Canada, IMI International, SponsorshipX and the Association of Canadian Advertisers.
The Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study was launched after delegates at the inaugural Canadian Sponsorship Forum in Vancouver identified a lack of Canadian-specific sponsorship data. It has since tracked the market annually, including spending by sector, activation trends, evaluation practices and strategic priorities.
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