Super Group CEO Neal Menashe has reaffirmed the importance of Betway’s new Manchester United sponsorship as he hailed the club as “one of the most recognisable in the world”.
The training kit sponsorship deal with Man Utd was signed on Tuesday, just before Betway owner Super Group’s Q2 2026 results were announced. It makes Betway the exclusive global betting partner for the three Premier League sides that finished in the top three last season.
In an investor call after the company’s results were revealed, Menashe was quick to point this out, emphasising the benefits that this could have for Betway – and not just in the UK.
“You have the headline of the Man Utd partnership, but I think what everyone needs to understand is – if you take the top three teams in the English Premier League last season, we are now the exclusive global betting partner for every single one of them,” he told investors.
“So we have Arsenal, Man City, and Man Utd. When you see those games, you are only going to be seeing Betway.
“Remember – football in Africa is our number one bet on sport, and that’s definitely the biggest leap.”
World Cup helps flip the script
Tuesday marked a momentous day for Super Group. The firm reported ‘record high’ Q2 results and profitability as it flipped from the red to the black by turning a $3m (£2.2m) loss into profit of $123m.
The operator, which looks to have set its sights on becoming Africa’s dominant betting brand, reaped the rewards of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, though Menashe did slightly downplay the impact of the biggest sporting event in the world.
He commented: “We did almost 50% cross-sell into casino from those new customers [acquired throughout the World Cup], but here’s the mad stuff about the World Cup – the time zones were not ideal for a vast majority of our customers.
“For us, the World Cup was great, but it was not like this unbelievable event, and we have unbelievable events starting in August and September, with the football season.
“But we are very happy with how it’s gone and the activation of those customers, and the cross sales have been great.”
The CEO added that cross-selling rates in the 2022 World Cup were at around 23%, marking a major improvement in the company’s 2026 performance.
This was without the benefit of time-friendly kick offs, so the results were something Menashe and Super Group leadership were “really, really happy with”.
He continued: “I think the World Cup generally did really well, but I think we’re even more excited now for the start of the new football season, with the Premier League, La Liga, etc.”
Africa a key part of Man Utd deal
On the Man Utd deal, Menashe pointed out the positive effect this could have on Super Group’s burgeoning African operations.
After the Man Utd partnership was unveiled, the business referred to it as its “biggest deal to date”.
Man Utd has an estimated global fanbase of around 1.1 billion, with fans all over the planet.
A large concentration of Man Utd fans reside in Africa, making the deal all the more important for Super Group and Betway.
Menashe said: “In Africa, I think it’s [Man Utd] got the biggest fan base. The deal is all part of our strategy, but again, this is not our whole strategy, it’s a portion of the strategy
“Given our leadership in Africa, partnering with them is just natural for us. I think this is a long-term investment in our brand that then supports our sustainable customer growth across the key markets.
“For us, it’s really exciting, and I’m not a Man Utd fan, but I understand how unbelievable this football team is worldwide.”
Betway won’t forget the UK
Despite Super Group’s growing presence in Africa, the company is still one of the most recognisable gambling firms in the UK via its Betway operations.
The UK is a market which has come under severe pressure in 2026, with the Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) tax rise to 40% placing stress on every operator’s bottom line.
Potential incoming headwinds also include the implementation of Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs) from the Gambling Commission, while new Prime Minister Andy Burnham is known as not the biggest fan of the gambling industry.
The Premier League front-of-shirt sponsorship ban, which comes into effect this season, is another example of the struggles operators are undergoing.
Betway’s Manchester United training kit deal circumvents this and it is now arguably the biggest gambling sponsorship in the country.
On Betway’s situation within the UK landscape, Menashe explained: “We’re deploying more of our sports product enhancements and we’re seeing the revenue stick even more, and that’s really been great.
“Plus, we’ve been clever in our casino operations there, and the whole market has to now reassess the UK market and the cost per acquisition, etc. So we’re definitely seeing that play out.
“And remember, we’re not a major player in the UK, so there’s a lot of market share we are getting and that’s again why, when we’ve got our overall brand spend, taking Man Utd, Arsenal and Man City, we amortise that over all the countries, not just the UK.”
For now, Africa remains Super Group’s main focus. The business plans to launch in Namibia before the end of 2026 and is assessing various other markets in the continent.
There seems to be no slowing down for the firm in this part of the world and, after all, why would there be if you’re generating $577m in the region in half a year?