The FIFA World Cup has arrived.
This global cultural event will attract enormous audiences. FIFA is projecting more than six billion engagements across TV, streaming, and digital platforms. The final game alone is anticipated to draw a peak audience of 1.5 billion viewers worldwide.
As a host nation, excitement in Canada is already at fever pitch. But that battle off-the-field is almost as fierce - and for us industry insiders, entertaining - as the one on it, as brands go head-to-head in the contest for eyeballs.
The Panoply Media team has plenty of soccer fans. But we’re also fans of great media campaigns. So we’ve put together our own premier league of World Cup-related commercials for you to enjoy.
Nike — “Rip The Script”
Nike has always understood that World Cup advertising is part sport, part cinema, part cultural event. “Rip The Script” leans all the way in, bringing together football icons, global celebrities and Nike’s familiar sense of high-stakes chaos. This is a ‘who’s who’ of cameos from across soccer, sport, entertainment and pop culture - which keeps you watching until the very end.
This works so well, because the World Cup audience is much bigger than the people who watch club football every weekend. This spot - which is perfectly designed for cut-downs and social engagement - has something for everyone. Nike has also extended this into additional YouTube videos and social clips featuring some all-time greats. The only miss? Chelsea’’s Cole Palmer getting a starring spot…only to find himself left back in the UK and out of the Three Lions’ final squad.
Adidas - “Backyard Legends”
This is a smart reminder that World Cup marketing does not always need to start in the stadium. Featuring a star-studded cast that includes Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham, Trinity Rodman, Lamine Yamal, Bad Bunny and Timothée Chalamet, the campaign taps into the more nostalgic, street-level roots of the game — the backyard, the driveway, the neighbourhood pitch. What we love is how adidas connects football’s biggest global stage to the places where fandom and participation often begin. It also includes a great use of AI, with de-aged versions of Beckham, Del Piero and Zidane all showing-up. For brands, that is the real lesson: the World Cup is not only about elite performance; it is about giving fans everywhere a way to see themselves in the story.
Lay’s — “Bandwagon” / “Most Epic Watch Party”
Lay’s has one of the smartest fan-entry points of the tournament so far: you do not need to be a lifelong supporter - or even truly understand soccer - to join the party. With Will Ferrell, David Beckham, and Marshawn Lynch, and Steve Carell the brand is making casual fandom feel welcome. And for the real soccer fans, big names like Thierry Henry - and even Lionel Messi himself - get in on the act.
Lay’s has identified the real behaviour it wants to own — the watch party. It is funny, accessible and highly snackable, in every sense of the word. And it’s not chasing the hardcore soccer fan. It knows that winning the casual supporter is a huge win for its brand.
LEGO — “Everyone Wants a Piece”
What’s this? Legendary arch rivals Messi and Ronaldo in the same spot? LEGO brought the two generational stars together - along with Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Jr. - around a buildable version of football’s biggest prize. It is playful, nostalgic and built around a generational handoff.
LEGO does not force itself into football culture. It translates football into the brand’s own language: imagination, collecting, building and play. That is the kind of strategic fit that makes a sponsorship feel additive rather than opportunistic.
Budweiser — “The Big Drop” / “Let It Pour”
As with the Super Bowl, Budweiser is so good at making these moments count. Unlike the tongue-in-cheek humour of the first three spots, this one brings a more global, emotional tone to the mix. Absolutely everyone has a first-ever World Cup, and this spot is a great throwback to that feeling, reaching out to multiple generations of soccer fans. And just listen to that rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and tell us you don’t get goosebumps. With its World Cup heritage and cinematic scale, the brand is leaning into the release valve of football: pressure, anticipation, celebration and the collective feeling of letting it all out. And that’s before we get to the fact that they’ve tied-in the commercial to its World Cup promotional packs.
This is the “big event” spot done properly. Budweiser is not trying to explain football to anyone. It is tapping into the emotional muscle memory of the World Cup and connecting that feeling back to the brand’s long-running role in the tournament.
The strongest World Cup campaigns so far have one thing in common: they understand the fan experience before they think about the media buy.
Nike is treating the tournament like entertainment IP. Lay’s is owning the watch party. LEGO is turning fandom into play. Budweiser is going big on emotion and heritage.
For marketers, the World Cup is not just a broadcast event. It is a multi-platform cultural moment, with different audiences entering through sport, food, travel, music, creators, gaming, social content and national pride.
The brands that win will not be the ones that simply show up the loudest. They will be the ones that know exactly where they belong in the fan’s experience, and then build every touchpoint around it.
