2026 FIFA世界杯体育营销课程

FIFA WorldCup 2026 Table of contents Intro to the 2026 FIFA World Cup & how brands get involvedWhat’s in this report & key terms to knowWhat we learned about soccer fan cultureFIFA sponsors●AB InBev●Diageo●Unilever●Coca-ColaNon-FIFA sponsorsTakeaways368131431465971111 The 2026 FIFA World Cup The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to bethe biggest tournament in the competition’shistory. Hosted across three countries for the first time ever — the US, Canada andMexico — this year’s tournament will expand across 48 teams and 104 matches. But the World Cup is about far more than soccer. It’sa month-long cultural event that brings together billions of fansacross sport,entertainment, food and social media. For brands, that makes it one of the raremoments where mass reach and emotional engagement collide at a truly globalscale. And the size of this year's tournament also means even more opportunities forbrands to get involved. The brands that show up successfully at these types of events are often the onesthatunderstand how fans celebrate and participate— finding authentic ways toadd to that experience. And we've seen many different approaches and plays frombrands of all sizes this year! MEET THE MASCOTS The role of sports marketing First, let’s cover the role sports marketing plays in an event like the FIFA World Cup. In a world of endless scrolling and skipped ads, live sports are one of the few places where brands still get undividedattention. That’s what makes sports marketing so powerful and so competitive — it holds a unique position becauseitbrings together something that’s increasingly hard to find: attention, emotion, culture and scale, all at once. EMOTION ATTENTION CULTURE During live games, fans aren’t passive,they’re emotionally invested. Every call,every play, every win and every loss carriesweight. When brands show up in the rightway, that emotion can translate into greaterrecall and connection. Live sports are one of the last remainingexperiences where people watch in realtime — which means you aren’t competingwith a skip button. For brands looking tomake a big impression, that’s a hugeadvantage. Live sports also offer a direct line intoculture. Big games like this extend off thefield. They take over group chats, socialmedia, headlines and more. This is wherebrands can go to become part of theconversation. SCALE Sports marketing is no longer a one channel play. The most effective campaigns don’t stop at a single TV spot.They connect across social, digital, influencers, partnerships, products and experiential activations.The game is the anchor, but a brand’s impact can extend well beyond. How brands can get involved There are a huge number of ways brands can get involved in marketing for an event like the World Cup. And there’sno one-size-fits-all approach that determines success,which means whether you have a tier one sponsor-sizedbudget or something more modest, there are still many ways brands can show up and make an impact. In-game & digital advertising Social & real-time marketing Sponsorships & partnerships Some of the most talked about sportsmoments happen on social media, in real-time.Quick thinking and strong creative can go along way here. TV spots, digital ads and in-stadium adplacements offer massive reach and visibility.It’s a big investment, but when done well it candeliver big on brand awareness. Sponsorships with leagues, teams or eventsgive brands consistent exposure and deeperassociation. But the real value comes from howbrands activate the partnership. Experiential activations Athlete & influencer collaborations Limited-edition releases Athletes bring in built-in audiences andcredibility. But the partnership has to feelauthentic to work. The best collabs often feellike a natural extension of both the athlete’sand brand’s identity. From fan experiences to pop-ups, liveactivations give people something toremember — and something to share. Thesemoments can turn passive fans into activeparticipants. Typically reserved for official sponsors, limitededition packaging, flavors, scents or merch canserve as a collectible item for fans and a greatopportunity for sweepstakes. What’s in this report This report seeks to help brands learn from great examples of World Cup marketing. Since the 2026 FIFA World Cup is hosted by theUS, Canada and Mexico, we focused on activations there,leveraging the Zappi platform to test new ad campaigns and new product launches — primarily inCPGcategories. What we found was really interesting. For a country that hasn’t historically embraced soccer,the US is veryexcited about this eventand brands are showing up in a big way to capitalize on that excitement. We sawso many limited-time products released in that market! Overall, our biggest takeaway is thatthere are many different ways for brands to show up for an event likethis. FIFA sponsors have the biggest campaigns across multiple different brands and countries, butconsumers don’t c