World Cup Marketing: Who's Scoring Goals and Who Deserves a Red Card?
- Tug McTighe
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is shaping up to be less of a sporting event and more of a global marketing cage match. With the tournament spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico and expanded to, for the first time, a monstrous 48 teams, brands are treating WC26 like the Super Bowl, Olympics, Coachella, the Oscars, and Comic-Con all rolled into one giant, sweaty, stressed-out, emotionally unstable soccer ball.
Obviously, hundreds are hitching their summertime train to this global event. And the smartest among them understand something crucial: Nobody actually wants "marketing". The fans want emotion. Community. Belonging. That feeling that they're part of something bigger than themselves - while screaming at television in a sports bar at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday, of course. (If you need me, that is where I will be BTW.)
And though some brands are nailing the assignment, others are delivering the marketing equivalent of a nil-nil dram in freezing rain. We're looking at you Newcastle v. Burnley.
The Brands Doing It Right
Adidas: Making Football Feel Cinematic Again
If World Cup marketing had a Ballon d'Or, Adidas is currently leading the table.
Their "Backyard Legends" and "You Got This" campaigns lean heavily into nostalgia, culture, celebrity, and cinematic storytelling rather than just product shots. Timothée Chalamet, Messi, Bad Bunny, Beckham, Jude Bellingham - this campaign has it all. Kind of like this Avengers of world football.
But here's the key: Adidas isn't selling jerseys. They're selling identity.
Why it works:
Feels culturally fluent, not corporate
Blends nostalgia with Gen Z aesthetics
Creates moments people want to share
Makes soccer feel fashionable, emotional, and global
Coca-Cola: Weaponize Emotion (Again)
Nobody delivers "Big global feelings" quite like Coca-Cola.
Their "Bubbling Up" and "Uncanned Emotions" campaigns lean hard into the emotional chaos of football fandom - the screaming, crying, hugging-strangers-in-the-airposts stuff.
BUBBLING UP
UNCANNED EMOTIONS
In a fantastic pivot, instead of centering around the athletes, Coke centers around fans. Legendary announcer Peter Drury narrated supporter reactions like game-winning goals. Music collaborations with J Balvin, Travis Barker, and Amber Mark create a cross-cultural soundtrack for the tournament. And the way the narrative uses imagery and the cans, bottles and even product as the allegory for the action on the field? Very tasty indeed.
LEGO: Unexpectedly Brilliant
LEGO's "Everybody Wants a Piece" campaign works because it captures fandom through creatively and play rather than just hype. Ronaldo, Messi, Vinicius Jr., and Mbappé star, working together - sort of - to build the amazing LEGO World Cup trophy set. They also build minifigs of themselves along the way.
This is a fantastic connection between the brand and the event bringing in famous faces (not just because they can, but because it makes sense) to build the very sets that LEGO created specifically for the World Cup. My family and I just put the Messi set together over Memorial Day weekend.
In a sea of hyper-serious "greatness awaits" messaging, LEGO feels refreshing and human. And, man, do I want that trophy set.
Why it works:
Distinctive visual identity
Appeals to adults, families, and younger fans
Inherently social and participatory
Gives fans something tactile and collectible - the idea is built out of the product itself.
The Brands Struggling So Far
McDonald's: Weirdly Quiet
For a global sponsor, McDonald's has been surprisingly absent from the cultural conversation so far. Industry watchers have specifically called out several sponsors for not yet creating standout campaigns, with McDonald's being one of the most conspicuous.
McD's also opted out of selling their food at official World Cup fan fest across the host cities. While the brand will have LED advertising within venues and naming rights to the Fair Play Trophy, being the "official restaurant sponsor" of this year's World Cup doesn't seem to be paying off. So far anyway. There is still time for them to drop something epic. They are McDonald's after all.
In short: Silence during the World Cup is dangerous. This tournament rewards brands willing to show up loudly and early.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
The original draft of this post was written on May 26th. As predicted by the author (me) above, McDonald's did have time to put something cool out into the marketplace ahead of the tourney, and they did.
On June 2nd they dropped a series of nine collectable cups with eight legendary players and one with Grimace as the goalkeeper. (The Grimace cup is already going for $10 and up on eBay). The LTO also features a Big Mac or McNugget meal as well as breakfast sandwich options. Happy Meals are included as well, with World Cup Squishmallows as the toy.
The moral of this story: Never count giant marketers like McDonald's out of the game.
Talk About Hot Air: Lowe's Terrible Likeness Messi Lawn Ornament(?)
Lowe’s put together a giant inflatable yard ornament that is supposed to look like Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi. Unfortunately, it looks more like “Lynell the part-time Lowe’s employee.” When you get in store, you can see a pic of Messi on the package wearing the Lowe’s soccer kit, so you know they had some reference photos. But man, what a miss.
When I saw it as I walked up to the door from the parking lot, I literally wondered, “Who is that Lowe’s soccer dude?” I am pretty sure that is NOT what Lowe’s wanted potential buyers to think. And when ESPN piles on? Trouble.
3. FIFA itself – Unmatched Greed Is The Worst Kind of Marketing
If you’re trying to award the Golden Boot to the "worst" marketing for the 2026 World Cup, you need to look no further than … the 2026 World Cup itself. FIFA has faced severe consumer and media backlash for a series of missteps that include running commercials during mid-half hydration breaks (for the uninitiated, for years soccer on TV has been run without ads), a perceived shift toward profits over people, and a soulless fan experience.
When you combine these problems with the historically high-priced tickets, a general lack of concern about how people might actually get to these games, and just a general sense of that it’s money, money, money above everything else, many people already have a sour taste in their mouth about the tourney before a single ball has been kicked.
Some of us are still hopeful that when the football starts, the game itself will overcome FIFA’s catastrophic failure to sell this tournament the right way.
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