VW to replace Mercedes as sponsor for German federation

Published Jul. 14, 2017 7:43 a.m. ET

BERLIN (AP) Germany's national soccer federation will replace Mercedes-Benz as a sponsor with fellow German automaker Volkswagen.

The German federation, or DFB, says Friday that its leadership chose Volkswagen unanimously and the contract with VW will run from January 2019 to July 2024. The DFB said the decision follows a ''detailed economic and substantive analysis'' of bids from Mercedes-Benz and VW.

Without giving financial details, DFB president Reinhard Grindel says the new arrangement will lead to a ''significant increase in income.''

Mercedes-Benz has been a partner of the DFB for 45 years.