Sunday’s El Clásico may well shape the 2025–26 La Liga title race, with leaders Real Madrid attempting to assert their authority over champions Barcelona with a victory on Sunday.

Barça are playing catch-up at the summit, with injuries and off-field drama ensuring the start of their title defense has been anything but serene. Hansi Flick is yet to succumb to the club’s infamous ’entorno,’ but the German is perhaps beginning to understand why so many managers have crumbled in Catalonia.

El Clásico is rarely devoid of narratives, and Sunday’s bout is no different, with the stakes inflamed by Lamine Yamal’s prematch taunts.

Barcelona have dominated the head-to-head duel as of late, and the visitors have a household name on their side at the Santiago Bernabéu. And no, we’re not talking about Yamal, the in-form Fermín López or the returning Raphinha, but a multi Grammy Award winner in Ed Sheeran.

Now, you’re probably wondering what the man who brought us ‘Shape of You,’ ‘Photograph’ and ‘Castle on the Hill’ has got to do with Sunday’s Clásico, so let’s give you an explanation.

Why Is Ed Sheeran Sponsoring Barcelona’s Shirt For El Clásico?

Ed Sheeran
Sheeran has a vested interest in football and has a stake in boyhood club Ipswich Town. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

Barcelona have been in partnership with music streaming service Spotify since 2022, and they’ve been the club’s primary shirt sponsor.

After striking a deal with the Catalan behemoths, Spotify said they’d use their sponsorship to “shine a spotlight on artists from all over the world.” As a result, we’ve seen Travis Scott, Coldplay and Drake all feature on Barcelona’s shirt for a one-off occasion, and Sheeran is the next limited-edition shirt sponsor.

On Sunday, the Spotify logo that typically features in the centre of their jersey will be replaced the words of Sheeran’s new album: ’Play.’ The women’s team donned the one-off strip during their 2–0 win over Granada last weekend.

“I’ve loved football my whole life, so bringing my music to such an iconic stage and sharing it with fans everywhere means a lot to me,” Sheeran said. The 36-year-old was the front-of-shirt sponsor for his boyhood club Ipswich Town between 2021 and 2025, and became a minority shareholder in 2024.

As part of the latest collaboration, Barcelona have also released a Sheeran-inspired retro home shirt from the 2004–05 season, with a play button working in harmony with the iconic Blaugrana stripes.

“My first Barça shirt, got this at my cousin’s wedding in 1999. Now I have my own, life is wild,” the singer captioned an Instagram post, which included a picture of a younger Sheeran, then with glasses, wearing, as he writes, his “first Barça shirt.”

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as What Is Barcelona’s Shirt Sponsor for El Clasico?.