CMC Markets Confirmed as New Main Sponsor; Stake Shifts to Sleeve

Everton have officially confirmed CMC Markets as the club's new front-of-shirt sponsor ahead of the 2026-27 season, formally corroborating the news we brought you back in the spring.

As ToffeeWeb reported back in April, the multi-year agreement sees the UK-based financial services and online trading firm replace Stake.com as the Blues' principal sponsorship partner.

CMC’s branding will now feature on the front of the men’s, women’s, and Under-21s’ kits. The deal also includes heavy visual presence across the new Hill Dickinson Stadium, Goodison Park (now home to Everton Women), and Finch Farm.

The commercial shake-up arrives ahead of the Premier League’s self-imposed ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsors, which comes into full effect for the 2026-27 campaign. However, those hoping for a clean break from the betting industry will be left disappointed.

Stake.com is not disappearing from the royal blue jersey. Instead, the controversial cryptocurrency casino has simply sidestepped to become the club’s official sleeve sponsor on a renewed multi-year deal. The move ensures Stake retains highly visible branding both on the kit and around the club's stadiums, a decision sure to rankle campaign groups like the Coalition to End Gambling Ads and a vocal section of the fanbase who campaigned against the initial partnership.

The deep irony of Everton’s new commercial setup will not be lost on supporters. While the club is adhering to the letter of the impending Premier League regulations by removing a traditional casino and sports betting brand from the primary shirt real estate, they have effectively replaced it with a spread betting and financial derivatives platform that operates under the eminently more respectable umbrella of investment speculation.

Whether the inherent 'gamble' of retail trading, CFDs, and financial speculation represents a tangible moral improvement over sports betting is highly debatable but, for Everton's commercial department, the bottom line is clearly what matters most. Combined with the Stake sleeve renewal, the club is projecting a significant uplift in commercial revenue as they prepare to usher in a new era at the waterfront.

Lord Peter Cruddas, Founder and CEO of CMC Markets, leaned heavily on the shared "passion" of football and finance in today's official announcement, stating: "Football is one of the few passions in life that inspires lifelong commitment because, like financial markets, you invest in your club long-term.

"We see that same mindset among many of our clients. They are loyal and strive to achieve success through patience, resilience and confidence."

Andrew Middleton, Everton’s President of Business Operations, hailed the partnership, noting that agreements of this scale "help us strengthen revenues, build a more sustainable platform for success and support our ambitions on and off the pitch."

The new CMC-branded home kit is expected to be officially unveiled later this week.

 

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