Advertising during a sports broadcast does not operate in isolation. It is influenced by fans’ mood and the match’s atmosphere. According to the 2018 study The Effectiveness of Advertising Embedded in Televised Sport Programming, a sports broadcast is a powerful emotional experience, further amplified by shared viewing. During a match, fans experience tension, joy, nervousness and disappointment — and it is precisely these emotions that affect how they perceive the advertising that appears during the broadcast. When their favourite team is winning, viewers are in a more positive frame of mind and are also more receptive to commercial messages. A brand can therefore become associated with feelings of success, joy and togetherness. Conversely, after a defeat or an unpleasant moment on the pitch, audiences may react more sensitively, and advertising may more easily be rejected. For marketers, it is therefore important not only where the advertisement appears, but also at what emotional moment. A spot during the half-time break may have one effect, a spot after a goal another, and a spot after the final whistle yet another.
The battle of the teams takes place on the pitch; the battle of the brands on TV screens
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has barely begun, but the match between brands has already been in full swing for some time. No wonder. A major sporting event is an enormous advertising stage, allowing advertisers to make use of football’s unique atmosphere and strike an emotional chord with fans. Let us take a look at the advertising spots that have ridden the wave of this year’s FIFA World Cup and demonstrate different ways in which the football championship can be turned into a powerful marketing experience.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola launched its Feel It All campaign as early as 27 January 2026 with the advertising film “Bubbling Up”. The campaign is designed as a months-long global activation ahead of and during the World Cup. Coca-Cola presents it as a continuation of its long-standing partnership with FIFA — this is its 12th tournament as a partner. The musical line underpinning the Bubbling Up commercial uses a reworked version of Van Halen’s “Jump”, featuring J Balvin, Amber Mark, Steve Vai and Travis Barker.
Video: Coca-Cola – Bubbling Up, FIFA World Cup 2026™
The second film, “Uncanned Emotions”, was released on 8 April 2026. Coca-Cola describes it as a continuation of its emotional storytelling, focusing on the passion of football fans and showing that joy, disappointment, anger, relief, pride and tears all have their place at the World Cup. An important element of the spot is the voices of well-known commentators: Peter Drury narrates the English version and Luis Omar Tapia the Spanish version. This gives the advert the atmosphere of a live broadcast and makes it feel more like a dramatic sporting moment than a conventional commercial.
Video: Coca-Cola – Uncanned Emotions, FIFA World Cup 2026™
The third and final film, “No Better Feeling”, was unveiled by Coca-Cola on 2 June 2026, shortly before the start of the championship. The brand describes it as the emotional climax of the entire three-part campaign. The spot features, among others, José Mourinho and J Balvin, and its central theme is the universal fan experience — regardless of who is watching the match or where they are watching it from.
Video: Coca-Cola – No Better Feeling, FIFA World Cup 2026™
adidas
The German sportswear, footwear and equipment brand adidas relies on nostalgia, street football and a star-studded cast in its “Backyard Legends” campaign. Instead of a grand stadium, it places a small pitch and a group of local legends at the centre of the action, facing a team assembled by Timothée Chalamet. Alongside current stars such as Messi, Bellingham, Lamine Yamal and Trinity Rodman, the advert also features icons of the past, led by Zidane, Beckham and Del Piero. The spot highlights that football legends do not have to be born only at the World Cup — they often begin right where the game is played freely, without pressure and purely for the love of it.
Video: adidas Backyard Legends | World Cup 2026 ft. Messi, Chalamet, Bad Bunny, Bellingham & Yamal
Nike
In its “Rip the Script” campaign, Nike uses the themes of chaos, star athletes and the joy of the game. The story takes place in a Hollywood studio, where everything is supposed to follow a precisely prepared script — but the football stars refuse to play along. As soon as the game gets going, the script and predictability disappear, replaced by instinct, audacity, improvisation and pure footballing joy. Current stars such as Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Vini Jr. and Cristiano Ronaldo meet icons of the past, including Ronaldinho, Eric Cantona, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Didier Drogba. Nike thus reminds us that football’s greatest magic is not created according to plan, but in moments when players dare to do something unexpected.
Video: Rip The Script | Nike Football
Michelob ULTRA
The American beer brand Michelob ULTRA, part of the Anheuser-Busch brewing group, turns an ordinary hotel lobby into an unexpected football pitch in its “The Superior Match” campaign. When there are too many legends around and too few chilled beers, a contest begins, with the brand fought over like a trophy. The spot is built around a star cast led by Lionel Messi, Christian Pulisic and Billy Bob Thornton, combining humour, sporting rivalry and the atmosphere of the World Cup. Rather than relying on a spectacular stadium setting, it opts for exaggeration and situational comedy, through which Michelob ULTRA presents itself as a brand associated not only with football, but also with the shared fan experience.
Video: The Superior Match ft. Messi, Pulisic, Billy Bob Thornton | Michelob ULTRA
LEGO
In its “Everyone Wants a Piece” campaign, LEGO presents the World Cup as an event everyone wants to have a piece of. Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior gather around a table to build a LEGO version of the FIFA World Cup trophy together. But when each of them tries to place their own minifigure at the top, an unexpected twist arrives: the final say goes to a young fan. The commercial thus gently and pleasantly reminds us that football does not belong only to the stars on the pitch, but also to children, fans and everyone who wants to build, replay and experience it in their own way. The advertising film was created in cooperation with Our LEGO Agency and Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam and was included by LBB magazine in its “Work of the Week” section.
Video: Everyone wants a piece | LEGO® FIFA World Cup™
Stella Artois
In its “Celebration” spot featuring David Beckham, Stella Artois moves the World Cup from the stadium into the middle of a bar, where the clinking of glasses, tense silence before a decisive moment and explosion of joy after a goal create a magical fan atmosphere. In the advert, Beckham is not just a famous face of the campaign, but someone who understands the joy of the game and the power of the moment. With its campaign, Stella Artois reminds us that the biggest matches are not played only on the grass — they are often experienced just as intensely in front of screens, around a table and in the company of people who cheer with all their hearts.
Video: Stella Artois x FIFA World Cup 2026™ I Celebration ft. David Beckham
The battle for football fans is also kicking off on Czech screens
Czech campaigns show that communication around the championship does not always have to rely on global stars and grand production. It can also work with domestic sporting figures, local humour or an effort to bring football closer to younger viewers, who often watch it differently from previous generations. A lovely example is the light-hearted advertising spot from Tipsport, which places Pavel Šulc — one of the most prominent faces of contemporary Czech football — at the centre of its communication.
Video: Jedeme za Šulcíkem (We are going to Šulc)
Hellmann’s also confirms that sports advertising does not have to be built solely on stadium footage. The brand approaches football through the fan ritual of watching a match at home — through a table full of simple snacks, grilling, sauces and shared moments with friends. In its campaign, it uses the popularity of Petr Čech, who lends it sporting credibility and a natural connection to the football environment.
Video: HELLMANN'S Petr Čech and his sauce hat-trick
Fortuna, on the other hand, has really let loose, launching a new long-term international creative concept. The central idea of the “Feel the Thrill” campaign is based on the notion that the tension and emotions of sport are not reserved only for die-hard fans. With Fortuna, even someone who is not usually familiar with matches, statistics or odds can experience them. That is why the guide through the story is a New York taxi driver — an ordinary person through whose eyes the campaign shows how easily sporting excitement can draw absolutely anyone into the action. Naturally, the campaign also responds to current sporting successes. After the Czech Republic qualified for the World Cup, a separate spot was created featuring Czech national team players in the leading roles. Singer Helena Vondráčková also appears in the spot:
Video: Fortuna Feel the Thrill
Sports advertising must work with the viewer’s mood
Sports advertising must capture attention, but above all it must work with fans’ current mood. Positively toned messages, humour, energy or the theme of victory can feel wonderfully natural in connection with the World Cup. Advertising that appears in such an electrifying environment has the chance to gain more than just a few seconds of attention. It can become part of a shared experience that people will talk about long after the match has ended.
The connection between sport and advertising is therefore not based solely on the high viewing figures of television broadcasts, but above all on the emotions sport evokes and brands can use sensitively. Rather than competing for attention, successful sports advertising naturally connects with the atmosphere of the match. When this works, the brand is not perceived as a disruptive element, but as part of the sporting story.