The first World Cup matches begin today with Mexico and South Africa in the group stage while Korea and the Czech Republic clash in their own bids to make deep runs the tournament.
A buildup that feels like forever in the making is finally in motion as the biggest iteration of the sport’s premier showcase unfurls in a multi-nation effort between the United States, Canada, Mexico.
But any of the qualified teams descend on the pitch, an advertising barrage of sponsors, partners and sportswear giant have resulted in months staking claims to billions who will tune in as they root for their nations.
No less than a dozen major campaigns have already been rolled out from official World Cup sponsors like Adidas, Coca-Cola Frito-Lay and McDonald’s while other stakeholders in the sport launched their marketing bids with splashy campaigns that are less about gamble and more about planting a flag in a month of unified emotion — and of course the game.
Plenty is at stake and with each take on advertising for the tournament, the battle for the biggest bags will eventually show up in future earnings reports.
A flurry of Cup-specific ads were launched in the last two months, and 13 picks below reflect how each of the brands are approaching the global sporting event of the year.
Nike – “Rip The Script”
With a loaded cast that includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Vini Jr., Kylian Mbappé, LeBron James, Travis Scott, Ronaldinho, Kim Kardashian, Didier Drogba and more, Nike’s 12 weeks of programming that will stretch well beyond the tournament kicked off with a 6-minute film that showed a fun behind the scenes take on the making of a commercial.
Pepsi – “Football Nation”
David Beckham stars in an ad spot that gives the playbook to fans to create their own unwritten rules of the sport in the Pepsi Football Nation.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s tapped Ronaldinho, Lamine Yamal, David Beckham and Christian Pulisic to showcase its limited-edition collectible player cups and World Cup 2026 Meal.
Gatorade – “Trust What’s Inside”
Christian Pulisic, Vini Jr., Julián Álvarez, Luis Díaz, Gilberto Mora and Tajon Buchanan star in Gatorade’s “Trust What’s Inside” campaign to help relaunches the brand’s “Is It In You?” platform.
Adidas – “Backyard Legends”
Adidas is a lead sponsor of the World Cup and unleashed an ad with heavy hitters from its roster (and celebrities) including Timothée Chalamet, Leo Messi, Bad Bunny, Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham and Trinity Rodman along with Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and Alessandro Del Piero.
Budweiser – “Let It Pour”
Soccer icons Erling Haaland and Jürgen Klopp feature in Budweiser’s “Let It Pour” that urges fans to embrace the overflowing emotion of the tournament.
Lays – “Most Epic Watch Party”
In a fun ad spot with Leo Messi, David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Alexia Putellas and Steve Carell, the crew finds unsuspecting shoppers at a supermarket to join that at a star-studded watch party.
Mastercard – “Leo Messi: For You, the Fans”
Leo Messi is a longtime Mastercard ambassador and a few die hard fans who are cardholder will get the chance to get a jersey swap with the soccer legend.
Brahma
In Brahma’s commercial, an ordinary day for a pair of Brazilian soccer fans wondering if their team will win the tournament turns into a frantic chase of kicking a ball made of newspaper throughout a neignborhood.
Coca-Cola – “Uncanned Emotions”
With play-by-play from Peter Drury and Luis Omar Tapia, the ad spot from Coca-Cola taps into the unpredictable emotional highs and lows of fans.
Lotto – “Legends Begin With Lotto”
Flavor Flav, Lenny S, Mark Iacono, Ashley Nicole Moss and many more star in Lotto’s campaign that follows a soccer ball as it moves across generations and geographies.
Duracell – “Duracell x Messi Reboot”
Leo Messi gets an assist from a scientist who runs onto the soccer pitch to “reboot” him with the brand’s Power Boost batteries.
Michelob – “The Superior Match”
Team USA stars Christian Pulisic, Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson face off against Argentina’s Leo Messi, Lautaro Martínez, and Nicolás Paz who take over a hotel lobby for an intense impromptu soccer battle.
