The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics have signed more than $2 billion in sponsorship and licensing deals, surpassing the 2024 Paris Games more than two years before the opening ceremonies.
The L.A. Games inked almost $1-billion worth of deals in 2025 with brands including Honda, Uber, Intuit, Google and Starbucks, and there are a couple more “big names” coming early next year with each valued at more than $100 million, according to John Slusher, who oversees revenue for the LA28 organizing committee.
The sponsorships are a combination of cash, goods and services, such as naming rights, sports gear, memorabilia, advertising and healthcare. LA28’s goal is to raise $2.5 billion from sponsorships and licensing agreements, making them the Games’ largest revenue source.
“Sponsorship’s been going incredibly well,” Slusher said in an interview. It’s a “sign of the popularity of the Games.”
Raising sponsorship money is key for the organizers to shield taxpayers from picking up the tab for the Games at a time when the city already faces budget cuts to police and the fire department. In case of cost overruns, the L.A. Olympic bid guaranteed an initial $250 million from the city followed, if needed, by another $250 million from the state. L.A. would also be on the hook for any liabilities beyond that.
The latest Games budget estimate increased to $7.15 billion, up 3.9% from 2024, according to an August presentation to the Los Angeles City Council. The estimate when the city originally bid in 2017 was $5.3 billion, including a 10% contingency for cost overruns.
When L.A. hosted the Olympics in 1984, they became the first Games to turn a profit, attributed in large part to pioneering corporate sponsorships.
The 2024 Paris Games reported a budget surplus, but sponsorship revenue was $1.3 billion, down from $3.2 billion for the 2020 Tokyo Games, according to a report by the International Olympic Committee.
LA28 ticket sales are expected to generate $2.5 billion. Registration for buying 14 million tickets starts in January.
The International Olympic Committee is expected to contribute $948 million to the 2028 Games, including broadcast payments and revenue from global sponsorships, according to the city’s presentation. Global sponsors so far include Airbnb, Alibaba, Coca-Cola, Deloitte and Visa.
The Paris Games cost about $9.4 billion, half of which went to new infrastructure, including stadiums. The LA28 organizers have limited costs by mostly using existing sports venues. But city, state and federal governments are on the hook for security and public transportation as well as operating deficits.
President Trump’s tax and spending plan, which he dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill,” allocated $1 billion for security, planning and other costs related to the 2028 Olympics.
Trump has threatened to move the Games — as well as 2026 FIFA World Cup matches — from L.A. to another host city if he deems Los Angeles unsafe. That’s highly unlikely to happen, Slusher said.
“I can’t imagine a world where L.A. doesn’t put on a great Games,” he said.
Gittelsohn writes for Bloomberg.
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