# Acelen Puts Its Name on Fonte Nova Stadium, Deepening Ties to Brazilian Football *Mubadala-backed energy company, which operates Brazil’s Mataripe refinery, secures naming rights to one of the country’s best-known football stadiums.* - Published: 2026-10-19 - Section: Insights - Tags: Acelen, Mubadala - URL: https://brazilstockguide.com/insights/acelen-fonte-nova-stadium-naming-rights-brazil/ ![](https://i0.wp.com/brazilstockguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Arena_Fonte_Nova-Acelen.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1) *Arena Acelen Fonte Nova, em Salvador. Foto: André Fofano/Portal da Copa* **By Brazil Stock Guide —** Acelen, the Brazilian energy company controlled by Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Capital, announced on Monday (October 19) that it has secured the naming rights to Arena Fonte Nova, one of Brazil’s leading football stadiums, in Salvador, the capital of Bahia state. The venue will now be known as Arena Acelen Fonte Nova. The announcement comes less than a month after the suspension of a sponsorship agreement with Casa de Apostas, a sports betting operator affected by Brazil’s newly introduced ban on betting activities. The new partnership brings Acelen’s brand to a venue that attracts millions of football fans, concertgoers and visitors to cultural events. The deal also marks another step in Acelen’s efforts to build brand recognition beyond the oil and fuel industry, where it has concentrated its operations since acquiring the former Petrobras-owned Mataripe refinery in 2021. Acelen is no stranger to Brazilian football, having previously sponsored Esporte Clube Bahia, the Salvador-based football club, during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The naming-rights agreement does not change the stadium’s management. Arena Fonte Nova remains operated by concessionaire Fonte Nova Negócios e Participações under a public-private partnership with the Bahia state government. According to the state Treasury Department’s official PPP registry, the concession is scheduled to run through March 31, 2028. In unveiling the stadium’s new visual identity, Acelen sought to preserve familiar architectural and branding elements, including the venue’s distinctive arches and original typography. The launch campaign will feature the slogan “Every kind of energy has a source. Ours is Bahia,” playing on the Portuguese word *fonte*, which means “source” and forms part of the stadium’s historic name. [Embedded media](https://videopress.com/embed/1hIKhjG4?cover=1&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fbrazilstockguide.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F10%2Fanimacao-letreiro-digital_mp4_dvd.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=1&hd=0) “We chose to bring back the arches and preserve the original typography out of respect for that history,” said Marcelo Lyra, Acelen’s vice president for institutional relations, communications, ESG and territorial development. He said the partnership was designed to strengthen the company’s connection with local communities and reinforce its long-term commitment to Bahia. For the stadium’s management, replacing a betting company with an energy producer also marks a shift in the profile of its commercial partner. Brazilian beer brand Itaipava held the venue’s naming rights for a decade before Casa de Apostas took over in 2023. For Acelen, the stadium offers a high-profile marketing platform as the company expands its industrial investments. The Mataripe refinery, located in São Francisco do Conde, near Salvador, can process more than 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it Brazil’s second-largest refinery. Since taking control of the facility, Acelen says it has invested approximately 4 billion reais in modernization, automation, operational safety and environmental improvements. The company is also seeking to diversify beyond conventional oil refining. Its major projects include a biorefinery designed to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel, also known as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), using plant-based feedstocks, including the macaúba palm. The initiative forms part of the group’s energy transition strategy and includes plans to develop a new agricultural and industrial supply chain in Bahia. The Fonte Nova partnership gives Acelen an opportunity to present that broader business strategy to audiences far beyond the industrial and energy sectors. Opened in 2013, the stadium says it has welcomed approximately 14 million visitors. It will be one of the venues for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil and regularly hosts Bahia football matches, international concerts and major entertainment events. The agreement adds a sports marketing dimension to Acelen’s industrial presence in Bahia while strengthening the links between Abu Dhabi-backed investments and Brazilian football. Neither the company nor the stadium’s management disclosed the financial terms or duration of the new naming-rights deal. The transaction also highlights a notable corporate connection. Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chief executive of Mubadala Investment Company, also chairs City Football Group, the global football organization that acquired a 90% stake in Bahia’s football operating company in 2023. Although Acelen and City Football Group are separate businesses, both have ties to the Abu Dhabi investment group’s leadership. The previous naming-rights agreement with Casa de Apostas, signed in late 2023, was originally intended to run for four years. It was suspended in late September following the publication of Provisional Measure 1,394/2026, which banned sports betting operations and advertising in Brazil. The measure also required the removal of betting-related advertising materials and sponsorship branding from sports venues. --- Source: Brazil Stock Guide, https://brazilstockguide.com/insights/acelen-fonte-nova-stadium-naming-rights-brazil/