
TotalEnergies and Sport: A Driving Force Behind Global Athletic Excellence
By Emily Hartwell
May 23 2025, 4 min read
Sport has an extraordinary capacity to bring people together, transcend cultural boundaries, and inspire generations. Recognising this unifying power, TotalEnergies has embedded sports sponsorship into the very fabric of its identity. Through strategic, long-term partnerships across various sporting disciplines, the company not only enhances its global visibility but also supports social cohesion, sustainability, and community development. Let’s delve deeper into how TotalEnergies champions motorsport, football, rugby, and badminton – each reflecting the company’s core values of performance, teamwork, innovation, and inclusion.
Motorsport: A Legacy of Precision and Performance
TotalEnergies’ involvement in motorsport spans over five decades, underlining a rich heritage built on engineering excellence, high-performance fuels and lubricants, and a passion for pushing boundaries.
The company has been a trusted partner in numerous prestigious racing series, including the FIA World Endurance Championship, MotoGP, and rally events such as the Dakar Rally. Through these partnerships, TotalEnergies supports elite teams and manufacturers by delivering cutting-edge technology and products developed through years of motorsport R&D.
The high-stakes world of racing serves as a real-world laboratory for TotalEnergies. It’s here that the company tests its most innovative products under extreme conditions, which eventually benefit everyday motorists. But beyond technical excellence, motorsport also embodies speed, resilience, and adaptability – values that align perfectly with TotalEnergies’ approach to global energy challenges.

Football: Energising African Talent and Unity
Since 2016, TotalEnergies has proudly served as the title sponsor of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and its ten major competitions, including the iconic Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). This landmark partnership is more than a branding exercise – it is a commitment to nurturing talent, celebrating culture, and empowering the continent’s youth.
Through initiatives such as Football Together, TotalEnergies offers a unique platform for fans to engage with the sport beyond the pitch. The programme shares behind-the-scenes stories and celebrates the spirit of unity and diversity that African football is known for. It also underscores the company’s intention to go beyond business – to make a meaningful impact in the communities it serves.
This collaboration not only brings visibility to emerging football nations but also supports local economies and infrastructure by uplifting the standards of sports development across the continent.
Rugby: Building Bonds, On and Off the Pitch
Rugby is a sport built on respect, discipline, and teamwork – qualities deeply resonant with TotalEnergies’ own ethos. The company’s support for rugby began at the grassroots level in 1988 with its long-standing partnership with Section Paloise, a professional French rugby union club based in Pau, close to TotalEnergies’ historical heartland.
This local commitment has since evolved into global engagement. In 2023, TotalEnergies became an Official Sponsor of the Rugby World Cup France 2023, aiming to make the tournament a truly nationwide celebration. This wasn’t just about the game itself, but about energising communities across the country with inclusive programmes and educational initiatives.
Further expanding its involvement, TotalEnergies has also partnered with French professional rugby leagues TOP 14 and PRO D2, as well as national men’s and women’s XV and 7-a-side teams. One particularly notable initiative is the National Neighbourhood Tournament, launched in 2023. This programme introduced thousands of children from underprivileged areas to the values of rugby, promoting social integration, education, and equal opportunity.
Badminton: Fast, Inclusive, and Global
Badminton may not always grab the headlines, but for TotalEnergies, its global reach, gender equality, and pace make it an ideal sport to support. Since 2015, the company has been the title sponsor of all major tournaments under the Badminton World Federation (BWF), including the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships and the Thomas & Uber Cups.
As the fastest racket sport in the world, badminton demands speed, precision, and endurance – all of which mirror the technical excellence and agility that TotalEnergies strives for in its operations. Moreover, the sport’s accessibility and appeal across age groups, genders, and continents make it a powerful platform for inclusion and positive change.
By supporting badminton, TotalEnergies is not only promoting a sport but also advocating for diversity, health, and international collaboration – core tenets of its broader mission as a responsible energy major.
A Shared Vision of Excellence and Unity
Across motorsport, football, rugby, and badminton, TotalEnergies’ sponsorship strategy is about more than visibility; it’s about creating real-world impact. Whether it's fuelling elite performance, fostering youth development, or promoting community cohesion, the company’s sporting partnerships reflect a deeper vision: to energise lives and empower futures.
As TotalEnergies transitions into a multi-energy company committed to sustainability, its involvement in sport serves as a powerful testament to the values it seeks to uphold: passion, resilience, innovation, and unity.