Marketers are gearing up for the FIFA World Cup by tapping the collective excitement around the competition, not just at the venues in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, but the road trips to get there, the community spirit in the host cities and the watch parties, in a rare occasion of appointment television.
“I think it’s going to be a great moment not only for the three markets, but for the world at large,” said John Murphy, Co-president and CFO of Coca-Cola, speaking to a recent meeting of financial analysts. “I think the World Cup will be an outstanding set of events and activities for all of us to enjoy.”
Coca-Cola is one of the many brands leveraging FIFA sponsorships. A World Cup Sponsor since 1978, its World Cup Trophy Tour works with local teams and bottling partners to highlight sustainability initiatives. Additionally, Coca-Cola bottles include collectible stickers and both Coke and its Dasani water brand are running fan contests and giveaways.
“There’s more interest in the World Cup in America now than I’ve experienced in prior World Cups that are outside the country,” Fox Corp. President and COO John Nallen told a meeting of investors. Fox has the rights to the English-language broadcasts, which will air on its broadcast network, Fox One sports streaming service and FS1 sports channel. Additionally, the opening game in Mexico and the U.S. team’s opener will simulcast on Tubi, Fox’s free ad-supported TV (FAST) service.
NBCUniversal and Telemundo will broadcast the games in Spanish and all 104 matches will stream live on Peacock and Telemundo Deportes Ahora, a new Telemundo FAST platform. Last December Telemundo reported it had sold more than 90% of its ad inventory.
The U.S. will host 78 matches starting with an opening game June 12th and ending with the final game July 19th. Mexico and Canada will host 13 matches each.
“You basically have an NFL season over these 2 months,” Nallen told analysts. “Every indication from a viewer standpoint and certainly from an advertiser standpoint is this is going to be a big event, and there’s a lot of momentum going into it.” This tournament has 40 more matches than before, giving advertisers many more opportunities, he said.
More than a quarter of U.S. consumers are expected to watch some of the Cup action. Even among the most patriotic fans, four out of 10 will cheer for more than one team, which expands the marketers’ scope.
“It’s a phenomenal footprint against which to engage in a very relevant manner with fans and maybe new fans — existing and new fans of one of the most popular sports in the world,” Coca-Cola’s Murphy told analysts.
WARC estimates the 2026 tournament will inject $10.5 billion into the global ad market, reversing a decline from 2022. WARC’s forecast noted that linear watching of Cup action was down 11.8% during the last tournament in Qatar, while multiplatform consumption rose as online viewing grew, especially in large football-watching markets such as China and India.
“It’s a cultural event”
The multiplatform viewing is only one of the changes since the last World Cup that are shaping how brands approach this year’s tournament. Marketers’ strategies reflect the evolution of sports marketing to more consumer-led, interactive and multichannel experiences. “Community” is a term invoked often by marketers describing their efforts, a notable change from the approach even four years ago.
“It’s a cultural event,” said Alexis Porter, vice president of Lay’s Global Brand. The snack company is extending its “No Lay’s, No Game” sports marketing platform for the World Cup by launching what it’s billed as the world’s largest watch party on WhatsApp.
“The World Cup is one of the few moments where the entire world is connected at once. And that makes it a powerful brand-building community for us,” said Porter. “It’s the moments that matter most to the fans.”
Diageo, the official FIFA World Cup Spirits Supporter, chose its tequila brands Don Julio 1942 and Casamigos as “hero brands” for the Cup because of their celebratory aura matches the game day vibe, said Devin Nagy, global head of digital, Tequila at Diageo, during Brand Innovators’ recent Culture and Commerce Summit. Casamigos recently introduced premixed margaritas in anticipation of the game, backed by ads featuring actors Gabrielle Union and Keegan-Michael Key on TV and social media, while Don Julio launched a campaign featuring soccer great Thierry Henry.
Many other marketers are also focusing more efforts into social media and creator channels, recognizing that sports consumption has changed. This year, FIFA partnered with TikTok as its “preferred platform,” followed shortly by a similar deal with YouTube.
“This collaboration with YouTube reinforces our ambition to maximize the tournament’s impact across the ever-evolving media landscape, offering fans everywhere easy access to an immersive view of the biggest single-sport event in history,” said FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström.
At the time, James Stafford, TikTok’s Global Head of Content, noted fans are 42% more likely to tune in to live matches after watching sports content on TikTok.
“We’re reaching the next generation of football fans – particularly younger and female audiences – and converting that passion into real tune-in and engagement at unprecedented scale,” he said in the announcement.
“The way that fans engage with sports is different than it was 10 years ago, even 5 years ago,” said Martin Blich, executive director and U.S. head of sports partnerships & investment at WPP Media. “The way fandom works is so much different. And that’s because of technology,” he told marketers at Brand Innovators’ AI Marketing and Innovation Summit in April.
Additionally, global brands need to keep in mind the World Cup play bridges countries, so they must think of strategy to engage fans in U.S., Canadian and Mexican markets, said Blich.
“Your fan activation can’t be the same from Kansas City to Mexico City,” he said.
Marketers need to tailor their messages to the fan subcultures within the sport, said Blich. “Somebody who is a fan of Brazil you may want to engage differently than someone who’s a fan of the USA,” he said.
A huge platform for brands
Many marketers stress tapping communities of sports fans is far more important this time around than in tournaments past, and community activities are a big part of the World Cup efforts for many brands. Bank of America, the World Cup’s official bank, is teaming with World Cup Partner Visa and the non-profit Soccer USA to expand and renovate public soccer pitches in 11 host cities. Both Visa and BofA are running multichannel efforts including ticket sweepstakes for consumers. Lay’s is also expanding its Lay’s RePlay program, which creates sustainable soccer fields from recycled potato chip bags, and will host a group of RePlay Ambassadors local communities at World Cup matches.
“Sponsorship is no longer just about putting a logo on something,” said Porter. “It’s about making sure we’re engaging and building the audiences that we want in the right ways and connecting them to our brand.”
adidas has been a part of the games since they began. Adidas sponsors 14 national teams for the 2026 World Cup, more than any other brand. This includes: Argentina, Italy, Germany, Columbia, Mexico, Algeria, Spain, Scotland, Wales, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Sweden, Japan and South Africa.
The brand is using the moment to release new products including the F50 ‘Too Light’ boot pack – adidas’ lightest ever cleat – home fan jersey kits, pet jerseys and stylish World Cup-inspired sportswear. From outfitting these teams in apparel and footwear to being the official ball of the tournament, the brand will be integrated into the game in every pitch. This year, the Trionda ball features advanced connected ball technology to track movement and analytics and help referees.
“This is the most progressive football we have ever created,” said Hannes Schaefke, football innovation lead at adidas. “It features a chip inside the ball that is allowing us to track everything the ball does…that allows us to track every pass, every shot, every action on the pitch and it helps referees make better decisions, faster.”
FIFA has leveraged the World Cup with tiered opportunities to give brands different vehicles to match their objectives and targets, said Jon Stainer, global GM of Nielsen Sports. Its top tier of global sponsors offers marketers the opportunity to be part of the World Cup and other FIFA events around the world, while FIFA 2026 World Cup partners have opportunities to activate specifically around the tournament. Official supporters and suppliers can activate on a more regional basis.
Lastly, the host cities also have rights to put on local events representing their message and activating with local consumers. For example, Bellevue, Wash, will host watch parties and soccer-themed activations with local brands throughout downtown parks and gathering spaces.
“I think FIFA has done a great job in being able to provide many entry points for brand marketers around the world,” said Stainer. “It’s really is a huge marketing platform for both domestic, regional and global brands.”
Stainer noted that while most fans want to experience the World Cup action on television, marketers are looking to connect with consumers in the real world, tapping many dimensions of the fandom.
In the U.S., advertisers are leaning on familiar faces. Superstars like David Beckham and Lionel Messi will be all over the broadcasts and social media.
Messi is partnering with Duracell for a soccer-themed promotion including a sweepstakes and limited-edition packaging showing his distinctive tattoos. He’s also appearing in Lego’s World Cup campaign with other soccer greats and is an ambassador for Anheuser-Busch’s Michelob Ultra beer.
Beckham is appearing in Home Depot’s campaign, which includes “Beckham’s Backyard” pop-ups and a sweepstakes for a trip to the finals. He also stars in ads for FIFA’s technology partner Lenovo, in World Cup telecom partner Verizon’s Golden Ticket Sweepstakes and in ads for Stella Artois. The brewer is activating a social media-first sweepstakes, tagged #AllRoundsOnBeckham, giving away beer money to fans watching the matches.
Fellow Anheuser-Busch brand Budweiser launched a nostalgia-based effort paying tribute to its 40-year sponsorship of the World Cup. At the other end of the beverage spectrum, the tournament also has an official champagne, Taittinger, which is releasing limited-edition FIFA World Cup bottles.
Many levels of advertisers want to engage with the World Cup. Some may not be FIFA sponsors “but that shouldn’t stop you,” said WPP’s Blich. He noted fan fests in the host cities offer other opportunities for brands.
Reggie Gustave, senior brand manager, Jameson at Pernod Ricard noted the whiskey is not a FIFA sponsor, but soccer is a big part of its marketing platform, so “we proceed with caution.” Jameson is leveraging partnerships with six men’s teams and four women’s teams in Major League Soccer, and will carry out watch parties and activations with those partners.
“We want to be sure to be part of those celebratory moments,” Gustave told marketers at Brand Innovators’ Creators and Culture Summit in April.
Indeed, many brands are leveraging adjacent relationships to get in the game. Dick’s Sporting Goods produced a documentary about the underdog U.S. team in the 1994 World Cup, widely credited with sparking soccer’s U.S. surge, backed by a series of activations. Chobani, a sponsor of U.S. Soccer, is launching a “Feed the Dream” campaign featuring ads, investment in youth soccer and equipment giveaways. The Central American fast-food chain Pollo Campero will leverage the final game’s location to partner with New York City FC for a ticket sweepstakes promotion.
Global brands have to look for moments that command wide attention, said Diageo’s Nagy.
“On the world stage that is a small list,” he said. “The World Cup is one we have been watching for a while and we’re excited to be a part of it.”
