World Cup Becomes Battleground for Global Brands Targeting Billion Soccer Fans

Global brands are intensifying their advertising efforts ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, turning football’s biggest stage into a fierce marketing battleground for access to billions of fans worldwide.

Football stars and celebrities appear in major brand campaigns ahead of the FIFA Men’s World Cup.(Photo: The Coca-Cola Company Facebook)

One of the most talked-about campaigns is Nike’s latest football-themed advertisement, Rip the Script, featuring Norwegian striker Erling Haaland alongside stars including Kylian Mbappé and **Cristiano Ronaldo.

The nearly six-minute cinematic commercial also includes appearances from celebrities and pop-culture figures connected to football, including Ted Lasso, Kim Kardashian, rapper Travis Scott, Central Cee, Lisa, and basketball icon LeBron James, a minority stakeholder in Liverpool F.C.

The campaign follows similar star-powered efforts by Adidas, whose recent World Cup-themed advertisement featured actor Timothée Chalamet alongside football stars Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, and Trinity Rodman, with appearances by Bad Bunny, Lionel Messi, and a digitally recreated younger version of David Beckham.

With the World Cup drawing more than a billion viewers globally, advertisers are increasingly relying on celebrity-driven storytelling to capture attention in an intensely competitive marketplace.