The partnership aligns the Italian giants, who are also sponsored by Emirates, with the global event starting on Oct. 1 MILAN: AC Milan has announced a new partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai that will see the next World Expo become an official partner of the seven-time European champions. Expo 2020 will take place from Oct. 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 and will be the first World Expo to ever be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region. The event is set to be the largest ever staged in the Arab world and will be welcoming more than 200 participants from 191 countries, providing a platform to foster creativity, innovation and collaboration under the event’s theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.” The event will see AC Milan showcase its brand, which boasts a fanbase of more than 500 million fans internationally, through content pieces created with the Rossoneri players and ambassadors of the club. “As a club based in Milan, a city that hosted the most recent World Expo in 2015, we know that Expo 2020 is a special moment in history that sees the world comes together to unlock its potential,” Casper Stylsvig, chief revenue officer of AC Milan, said. “That is why it is truly an honor for AC Milan to partner with such an iconic and extraordinary event. Expo 2020 Dubai will remain in history, not just as the first World Expo to be held in the region, but also as an inspiring event that strives to inspire people to build a better world and shape the future.” Through the partnership with Expo 2020, AC Milan aims to strengthen its presence in the Middle East, a key market for the club, where it has been active for many years. Besides playing in the region in the past, AC Milan also has a number of local partnerships, including a long-standing partnership with Emirates since 2007. “Expo 2020 is delighted to be partnering with a club as internationally renowned and respected as AC Milan. With its passionate global fanbase and glorious history spanning 122 years, AC Milan has been a pivotal and inventive force in the world of football,” Sholto Douglas-Home, chief sales and marketing communications officer, said. “Expo 2020’s values are very much aligned with those of AC Milan where we share a belief in empowering people to be the best version of themselves — ambitious, tenacious, creative and forward-thinking,” he added. “We also recognize the unique power of sport to bring together people, communities and nations through collaboration and innovation, and we look forward to working with AC Milan in delivering our Program for People and Planet.”