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TCL, a global leader in consumer electronics and the world’s No. 1 Mini LED and ultra large screen TV brand, has announced a new partnership with Gulf United FC as the Dubai based club prepares for the 2026/27 UAE First Division season under newly appointed head coach Andrés Iniesta.
The collaboration marks another step in TCL’s growing sports presence in the Middle East and brings the brand together with a club focused on developing the next generation of football talent.
It also comes at a defining moment for Gulf United. Andrés Iniesta, FIFA World Cup winner and four time UEFA Champions League winner, has begun his coaching journey with the club, bringing decades of experience at the highest level of international football into a team built around young players, development and progression.
For TCL, this shared belief in potential and progress sits naturally alongside its Inspire Greatness brand philosophy.
“At TCL, Inspire Greatness is about recognising potential and helping create the opportunities for it to grow,” said Vic Shen, General Manager, TCL Middle East. “Gulf United represents that mindset very clearly. It is a club with ambition, a strong belief in young talent and now the experience and leadership of Andrés Iniesta guiding its next chapter. We are proud to support that journey.”
The partnership builds on TCL’s expanding global sports portfolio. The brand’s presence across football includes partnerships with Arsenal Football Club and the Spanish national football team, alongside its wider involvement with the Olympic movement and other major international sporting platforms.
Rather than viewing sport purely as sponsorship, TCL has increasingly used these partnerships to connect its technology, brand values and audiences through experiences built around passion, performance and shared moments.
“Sport creates connections in a way very few platforms can,” said Majid Khan Niazi, Director of Marketing, TCL Middle East and Africa. “For TCL, our investment in sport is about being part of the moments and stories that inspire people. Gulf United is building something with a clear sense of purpose, particularly through its commitment to giving talented young players a pathway to progress. That strongly reflects what Inspire Greatness means to us, and we see significant potential in what we can build together.”
Gulf United has established itself around a development led football model, creating opportunities for emerging players while competing in the UAE First Division. The arrival of Iniesta adds a new dimension to that ambition as the club prepares for the season ahead.
Speaking at the club’s press conference in Dubai, Andrés Iniesta, Head Coach of Gulf United FC, said: “Gulf United is a club that believes in youth. Players are not given opportunities just because they are young, but because they possess quality.”
On his expectations for the season, Iniesta added: “I always have high expectations, and our goal is to be the best, and this process happens on a day to day basis.”
Through the partnership, TCL and Gulf United will collaborate on fan engagement, football focused content and storytelling, creating opportunities to bring supporters closer to the club, its players and the wider journey of the team.
The collaboration also strengthens TCL’s connection with football audiences in the UAE, complementing the brand’s global sporting partnerships with a locally relevant platform focused on the future of the game.
As Gulf United enters its next season and Iniesta begins a new chapter of his career from Dubai, the partnership reflects a shared belief between TCL and the club: greatness is not only defined by where you are today, but by the potential to achieve what comes next.