World Cup 2026 Marketing Strategy: Winning Tips for Brands & Agencies
- Gabo
- Oct 6
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 5
Video content strategies for the biggest marketing moment of the decade
Let’s be honest: most of us aren’t making it to the pitch in 2026. We’re not pulling on a jersey or scoring a last-minute goal to knock out Germany (sorry, Germany). But that doesn’t mean we can’t win the World Cup — not if we’re in the business of commercial storytelling.
Because the 2026 FIFA World Cup isn’t just a sports tournament. It’s a global cultural season. A six-week attention span-stretching, soul-stirring, meme-generating opportunity for brands to do what they always say they want to do: show up in a way that matters.
So the question is: will your brand or client own the moment… or just post a “Go Team!” tweet and hope for the best?
So, What’s the Big Deal?
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was massive. And not just “sports-fans-watching-in-bars” massive. It was five-billion-viewers, three-million-fans-in-the-stands, entire-cities-pausing-their-day-to-watch-the-match massive. For a few wild weeks, the whole world tuned in, and brands lucky enough to get it right found themselves part of something far bigger than a campaign.
And that was a compact tournament in one country. With 32 teams. On a very controlled timeline.
Now zoom out.
In 2026, the World Cup becomes something entirely different. It stretches across three countries, 16 cities, 48 teams, and 104 matches. The sheer scale of it is hard to overstate. It’s not just bigger than 2022 — it’s exponentially bigger. The projected viewership is on track to break every record of five billion viewers the last tournament set, and with good reason.
But here’s what makes this one especially thrilling for brands and agencies: it’s coming to North America.
That means home-field advantage for marketers. The matches will be played in our time zones, in our cities, in front of our audiences. Every story, every fan reaction, every moment of heartbreak or glory will ripple out in real time, through every screen, every feed, and every brand touchpoint imaginable.
And it won’t just live in ads.
It’ll live in recap reels and watch parties. In TikToks and livestreams. In WhatsApp threads and on jumbotrons. It’ll be documented by crews on the ground, fans in the crowd, influencers in the booth, and editors racing against sunrise to get the next piece out while the moment’s still hot.
This isn’t a single campaign drop. It’s a six-week, cross-continental, all-eyes-on-you media season.
And if you want your brand or your client’s brand to be part of the conversation, you can’t treat it like a last-minute one-off. You need a content strategy that builds. Breathes. Reacts. Spreads. One that plays the full tournament.
Because the audience will be there, eyes wide open. The question is: will you?
Before You Shoot, Know your Goal
It’s tempting to start with the fun stuff: big ideas, visual references, “what if we had Messi riding a horse made of lightning” kinds of pitches. And hey, we’re all for bold creative. But the point is: before you start building content for the World Cup, you need to be clear on one thing - What do you actually want this campaign to do?
Because not every brand needs a hero film. Not every product needs a launch tied to game day. And not every audience is watching the tournament for the same reasons.
This is a huge, sprawling event with an even bigger emotional footprint. And there are so many ways in. But the best campaigns (the ones that connect) are anchored in clear, specific intent.
So, ask yourself (or your client):
Are we trying to increase awareness among a global or multicultural audience?
Are we launching a product or limited edition drop during the tournament?
Do we want to drive real-time social engagement tied to matches and fan behavior?
Are we trying to build longer-term brand affinity through emotional storytelling?
Or are we simply trying to show up smartly and consistently as part of a broader omnichannel campaign?
Once you know the primary objective, everything else flows from there: the tone, the pace, the formats, the timeline, the production needs, the distribution plan, even how much you build in advance versus in real time.
And if you’re working with multiple goals or across multiple markets? Even better. Now you’re thinking in layers, which is exactly how content for the World Cup should be designed.
Because this isn’t just about making a great video. It’s about creating a content ecosystem that moves with the tournament — and with your audience.
The World Cup 2026 Marketing Strategy That Wins (and Why It Works)
So, once you know what you're trying to achieve, we can talk about the how.
With your goals clear (whether it’s emotional storytelling, real-time engagement, or a timed product launch) you can start crafting the content ecosystem that supports it. Not just one video. Not just one format. A system. Something that builds, flexes, adapts, and lasts longer than a single ad slot.
Let’s say you’re aiming for a strong emotional connection. Maybe your brand wants to own a particular narrative, like national pride, underdog energy, or fan culture. You’ll probably want to start with a hero spot. Something cinematic and shareable. Not just pretty, but meaningful. It’s your tentpole. The thing that gets talked about and referenced later when someone says, “Did you see that ad?”
But maybe you’re focused more on real-time fan engagement, in which case, your production plan needs to include nimble social formats, ready to react, localize, and move at the speed of the group stage. You’ll need quick-turn editing, modular footage, multi-language delivery, and probably a version your legal team can approve in under two hours. (Don’t worry, we’ve been there.)
Or maybe it’s a product moment. A launch, a collab, a surprise drop tied to a match or player that calls for tighter, design-led content. Think motion control, CGI, AR-ready visuals, or even dynamic DOOH.
The best campaigns don’t pick just one. They layer them. They build an emotional anchor. Then add platform-native assets. Then capture real-world activations and fan reactions. Then adapt everything across feeds, formats, and markets — without having to start from scratch.
That’s when a campaign stops being a “World Cup piece” and starts being a brand narrative that lives across the full tournament, and maybe even beyond.
A Quick Case Study: Sprint, Celebrities, and the Gold Cup
Before the World Cup, we worked on a multi-platform campaign with Sprint during the CONCACAF Gold Cup, a tournament that’s especially close to home for U.S.-based Latino fans. They had a clear audience, a strong cultural lens, and a plan to show up in a way that felt vibrant, bilingual, and proudly fútbol-obsessed.
At the center of it all? A custom music video from Prince Royce. He wrote and performed an original song for the campaign, a track that celebrated Latino pride, fútbol culture, and Sprint’s voice in the community. That single piece of content racked up 116 million impressions, but it wasn’t a one-and-done play.
The music video anchored a larger strategy that included:
Cameos from Carlos Valderrama, a legend of Colombian fútbol
La Futbolera, a costumed character in full grandma-soccer-fan energy, who became the face of a chatbot and a recurring personality throughout the campaign
Live fan activations at Gold Cup events, where real-time coverage and on-the-ground content generated 197 million impressions
Personalized shoutouts sent directly to fans — over 5,000 tailored messages that sparked another 3 million impressions
It was fun. It was loud. It was human. And it spoke directly to the audience Sprint cared about — not in generic brand-speak, but in fútbol fan language.
What made it work wasn’t just the celebrity talent or the stunt elements. It was that every part of the campaign was designed to connect across formats, touchpoints, and emotional beats — with content that could be shared, remixed, translated, and activated in real time.
That’s what a strong World Cup strategy looks like. And that’s the level brands should be aiming for in 2026.
So… What’s Your Game Plan?
The 2026 World Cup is coming, the audience is ready, and whether you’re an agency pitching the next big idea or a brand trying to find your place in the global conversation — this is your shot.
The stories that will travel far in 2026 won’t just be the loudest or the flashiest. They’ll be the ones that feel true. The ones that meet fans where they are. The ones that make people say, “Did you see that?” And then send it to their group chat.
This isn’t the time for templated campaigns or generic brand lines. It’s a moment to be bold, be fast, and be smart about how you show up, with content that lives, moves, adapts, and actually connects.
So if you’re even thinking about doing something for a World Cup 2026 marketing strategy… Start now.
And if you need a partner who knows how to turn ambition into output, whether that’s a national campaign, a street-level activation, or something weird and wonderful with a robot arm, we’d love to be in your corner.
Let’s make content that scores.