Concacaf CCO Heidi Pellerano (l) will oversee partnership sales and management for the confederation as it brings its rights in-house

 Concacaf and Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the commercial arm of Major League Soccer, will not renew their decade-old agreement, ending the exclusive arrangement under which SUM handled the confederation’s commercial sales.

Concacaf, the governing body for soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, will bring its commercial rights in-house. Chief Commercial Officer Heidi Pellerano will oversee partnership sales and management. The confederation described the decision as mutual.

SUM will not leave the picture entirely. It will continue to work with Concacaf on marketing and ticket sales for several major events, including the Nations League Finals and the Gold Cup, during the 2027-2030 commercial cycle.

The move follows a similar one by U.S. Soccer, which ended its nearly 20-year relationship with SUM at the end of 2022. Under Chief Business Officer David Wright, the federation more than doubled its annual commercial revenue, from $61 million in fiscal year 2023 to $168 million in fiscal year 2026. That growth coincided with the buildup to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

Concacaf said it is “strengthening its in-house commercial sales and partnership management capabilities.” The confederation is currently hiring for three Miami-based commercial roles on LinkedIn, including a Head of Commercial Partnerships and Business Development. Its current partners include Aramco, Macron, Molten, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Riyadh Air and the Saudi Tourism Authority.

With the Concacaf agreement concluded, SUM remains the exclusive U.S. commercial agency for the Mexican National Team. It also handles sales for MLS and for its joint properties with Liga MX, Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup.

In a statement, SUM said it is “proud of what we have accomplished in partnership with Concacaf to help grow the commercial business of soccer throughout the region and look forward to continuing our collaboration with them on other key initiatives.”

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