LAFC Partners with LINE FRIENDS Creator
Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) has announced a strategic partnership with IPX, the company behind the popular LINE FRIENDS characters. The collaboration will bring the character BROWN to Los Angeles and will run throughout the 2026 MLS season.
This partnership places LAFC within a broader trend of sports teams collaborating with popular character brands. Other recent examples include the Los Angeles Dodgers' work with Hello Kitty, the New York Yankees' promotion featuring Mo Willems' characters, and the Korean K League's extensive collaboration with various Sanrio characters. The creator of LINE FRIENDS, IPX, originated in 2011 as sticker characters for the mobile messenger app LINE. The company has since grown into a global creative studio, launching over 5,000 products and collaborating on animations, games, and theme parks worldwide. IPX has a history of high-profile collaborations, including the creation of the BT21 characters with K-pop group BTS and partnerships with Netflix and mobile game developer Supercell. The company has also worked with Chinese idol Roy Wang and Blackpink member Jisoo on new character lines. For LAFC, this move aligns with a recent focus on building cultural and business ties with South Korea. In February 2026, the club announced a landmark partnership with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization to expand its presence across Asia. The collaboration with BROWN also coincides with the character's 15th anniversary and IPX's expansion into digital interaction. In a separate partnership with Kindred Labs, IPX is scheduled to launch AI-powered "character companions" in April 2026, allowing fans to interact with characters like BROWN on their devices.
