Continental AG has signed to sponsor the 2006 World Cup, which will be held in Germany that year.
Continental has used other European soccer events over the years to "increase the awareness of the Continental tire brand, especially in such strategically important markets as France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom," according to Continental AG officials.
Last month, the company's United States-based subsidiary, Continental Tire North America Inc. (CTNA), was the title sponsor of college football's first bowl game in the Carolinas, the Continental Tire Bowl.
CTNA also helps sponsor the National Football League's Carolina Panthers.
