Costa Crociere joins Virtus Bologna
Costa Crociere will be the new Title Sponsor and Main Sponsor of Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna for the 2026/27 season. As a result, the team will compete in the Italian LBA under the name Virtus Costa Bologna.
The agreement will cover the entire season, with the Costa brand accompanying Virtus in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) during the club’s centenary campaign.
The partnership and the new Virtus jersey were officially unveiled on Sunday, September 13, aboard Costa Pacifica in Savona, Costa Crociere’s home port. The presentation brought together Costa Crociere CEO Mario Zanetti and Virtus President Massimo Zanetti.
A partnership between two Italian brands
The choice of Costa Pacifica as the setting for the announcement symbolically brings together two Italian excellences: the cruise industry and top-level basketball.
The partnership aims to combine the identities of two established Italian brands with an international reach. For Costa Crociere, the agreement strengthens its presence in a strategic area such as Bologna, Emilia-Romagna and Northern Italy. For Virtus, it represents a partnership with an Italian brand capable of supporting the club’s visibility and activities beyond the basketball court.
“With Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, a partnership is born between two realities that have a lot in common: the same ambition to be at the top, the same ability to turn an evening or a journey into an emotion that lasts, and two important histories looking toward the future. We are alongside Virtus in its centenary season and as it opens its new home, with the desire to work together on projects capable of bringing together two Italian excellences recognized in Europe and around the world,” said Mario Zanetti, CEO of Costa Crociere.
Initiatives for fans and the community
The collaboration will go beyond the presence of the Costa logo on the Virtus jersey and inside the arena.
Throughout the season, the two organizations will develop initiatives designed to connect the world of cruising with basketball. Virtus players will take part in experiences aboard Costa ships, while events and activities for fans and local communities will be organized in Bologna, Liguria and across Italy.
The partnership will also accompany Virtus Bologna’s centenary celebrations, with special moments and exclusive initiatives designed to bring the club, its fans, the brand and the surrounding territories closer together.
Massimo Zanetti: “Together we can do great things”
Virtus President Massimo Zanetti welcomed the new partnership and highlighted the symbolic value of the collaboration.
“I want to express my gratitude to Costa Crociere for accepting the proposal to link its historic brand with the equally historic Virtus Pallacanestro, which I have the honor of presiding over. The journey that begins today is the classic journey of sport: commitment, sweat and professionalism to achieve our goals. If we turn that journey into a cruise, it will mean that we have added beauty and success.
“The Costa brand is a great added value not only for my club, Bologna and basketball, but for Italian sport as a whole. Together we can do great things”.
A new identity for Virtus Bologna
With the unveiling of the new jersey on September 13, the curtain officially rose on Virtus Bologna’s new identity for the 2026/27 LBA season.
The centenary campaign will therefore begin with Costa Crociere alongside the team, combining basketball, Italian excellence and a season of initiatives dedicated to fans and the community.
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