Football mania is sweeping the world and the world’s biggest brands have upped their game with breathtaking commercials, full of ambition, and emotional and cultural resonance
By Team BL
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Back in 2010, Nike scored sensationally with its Write the Future World Cup commercial, as it captured how one pass or tackle can change the destinies of players and nations. The 2026 Rip the Script ad is set off the pitch and brings a different energy — raw, chaotic vibe. Created by Wieden+Kennedy, the ad begins on a film set where football megastars, irritated over delays and an overbearing director, rebel and race off — colliding with entertainment world’s superstars. The starry ensemble features footballers Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, Vini Jr, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho and Wayne Rooney, and sports and cultural icons LeBron James, Travis Scott, Kim Kardashian, Channing Tatum and Ted Lasso. It’s unscripted fun, gut play and fearless talent blended with humour.
Backyard stories
adidas delivers a kick in its ambitious World Cup film Backyard Legends, where actor Timothée Chalamet joins Lionel Messi, Bad Bunny, Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Trinity Rodman, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and Alessandro Del Piero to tell a story of neighbourhood lore. The film celebrates the joy of free play and sets out to remind fans that every pitch, from backyards to the world’s biggest stage, can create a legend. Set against a nostalgic soundtrack, 1990s street and terrace style, analogue tech and era-defining hairstyles, the film blends CGI and visual effects to bring to life a simple truth: The backyard is where pressure disappears and legends begin. Official Match Ball provider and kit supplier to 14 federations competing at the FIFA World Cup, adidas is also showing up in backyards with a lot of activations. Truly on the ball.
Piecing it together
Lego’s World Cup 2026 campaign, Everyone Wants a Piece, has justifiably gone viral. It features animated minifigures of soccer legends Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in a dimly lit room, all competing to assemble and claim a golden Lego World Cup trophy. The competition is intense and the viewer gets highly involved. But in a playful twist, before any of them can finish, a young child enters the frame and completes the task, putting his own Lego figure on top.
Bubbling up
Coca-Cola’s World Cup campaign Feel It All focuses on football fandom and the rollercoaster emotions of supporters. The latest spot film in the campaign, No Better Feeling, developed by WPP OpenX and led by Ogilvy, acts as a visual love letter to football culture by zeroing in on the sport’s most tension-soaked moments — the video assistant referee (VAR) check. Featuring José Mourinho and J Balvin and commentary from Peter Drury and Luis Omar Tapia, the campaign captures the emotions of fans all over the world as they wait to see if it’s a late-game goal or not. The intense match electricity and the agony and ecstasy of fans are beautifully portrayed.
Let it pour
Budweiser’s World Cup outing also captures fan emotions and the central message of the commercial is to let it all spill out. The commercial opens with Jürgen Klopp sitting in a pub when his pint of Budweiser magically begins to rumble. It cuts to intense and chaotic scenes of fans worldwide experiencing the highs of the tournament. For Budweiser 0.0, which is the Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, this is a landmark year as it cements 40 years of partnership with the football body. Bringing the legacy to life in India, the brand rolled out immersive, fan-first experiences under its global platform ‘Let It Pour’. Kicking off the celebrations on June 11, the opening day of the tournament, Budweiser 0.0 unveiled an interactive Messi mural in Mumbai. The mural invited fans to cheer —quite literally — through their voices and collective excitement.
Published on June 15, 2026
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Source: BusinessLine
