10 experiential marketing wins during the FIFA World Cup
After almost 40 days, the FIFA World Cup 2026 wraps up this weekend with the final match between Argentina and Spain on July 19. Sponsors and brands showed up and showed out across the host countries and around the world to join the event of the summer.
Last week, FIFA reported that the tournament broke digital engagement milestones with 20 billion video views across its platforms, and more than 7.7 million people have attended FIFA Fan Festivals in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
We saw countless watch parties, goal kick challenges, oversized installations, AI-powered pop-ups, jersey customization stations and mobile billboards that cut through the noise of a crowded advertising landscape to connect with fans where they are and create community-driven moments.
Here, we round out our three-part coverage with 10 more activations that will stay with fans after the FIFA World Cup Trophy is lifted.
The Winner’s Table Hosted by CAVA
CAVA’s Mediterranean Summer Supper Series continued on July 9 with The Winner’s Table, in partnership with Flavors of the Game, at HERO at Rockefeller Center in New York City. The soccer-inspired dinner marked the second event in the restaurant brand’s three-part celebration of food, hospitality and the Mediterranean lifestyle, bookable by Airbnb Experiences.
Jonny Marsh, a private chef for Premier League footballers, hosted a live culinary experience with special guests Cavan and Quinn Sullivan, brothers on MLS’s Philadelphia Union team. Creators, athletes, media and the CAVA community observed the cooking presentation and enjoyed Mediterranean-inspired bites.
Photos: Courtesy of CAVA
Chispa’s ‘Lucky Losers’ Dating Campaign
Chispa, a dating app designed for U.S. Latinos, flipped the script on the grief that comes from watching your favorite team lose by launching the “Lucky Losers” campaign. Chispa gathered single fans at Dallas watch parties, and at the end of the matches, sent two heartbroken fans off in the backseat of a custom-wrapped Alto car to get to know each other.
A Latino streamer rode shotgun as wingman to help spark conversation, and the two participants scored dinner on Chispa if the ride went well. Across two live watch parties at Christie’s in Dallas, nine couples found a match, ultimately delivering them to a brand-hosted date at Leela’s Wine Bar. The Lucky Losers experience is also extending to the Chispa app, where users can use digital flag stickers to rep their World Cup countries. (Agencies: Beautiful Beast; Need Pastel)
Dietz & Watson’s Fútbol Food Tour
Deli food brand Dietz & Watson is fueling fans this summer with its multicity pop-up that’s bringing city-centric hoagie samples to fans before game time. At its hometown event in Philadelphia, the brand served up its signature Italian hoagie and distributed Dietz swag. Consumers had the chance to join a mini, seated soccer tournament to win prizes. Last month, in partnership with Fever, Dietz & Watson gave away a $5,000 gift card for one lucky fan to purchase tickets to a soccer game. (Agency: Rose Gold Collective)
Photos: Courtesy of Dietz & Watson
NYNJ World Cup 26 & Telemundo Fan Village at Rockefeller Center
From July 6-19, Rockefeller Center is a World Cup hotspot in New York City, broadcasting live matches on 26-foot Hisense LED screens and hosting the exclusive FIFA Museum presented by Hyundai, fan activities, giveaways, appearances from soccer stars, events, specialty f&b and official merch shops. Daily programming this week has included youth and girls’ soccer clinics, a performance from the cast of Broadway musical “Buena Vista Social Club” and Movie Nights on the Pitch.
Across the Fan Village are brand activations, photo moments and swag drops, such as the exclusive and elusive Bank of America Fan Bands. At Telemundo’s La Casa del Mundial, attendees can try the Goal Kick Challenge, which is captured as a World Cup-themed photo, and join the Telemundo broadcast desk, where legendary sportscaster Luis Omar Tapia leads them through a goal call celebration that they can save as a video.
The lineup also features “Beckham’s Backyard” presented by The Home Depot; Lenovo Interactive Digital Avatar; Hyundai’s balloon-making stations and cooling systems; the Degree, Dove Men+Care and Dove Experience; the “P.S. 30 at Rockefeller Plaza: Soccer at Schools” light show by Bank of America; and an 18-foot adidas Trionda Final, the Official Match Ball of the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals and final, presented by adidas.
Photo credits: Diane Bondaref; Tishman Speyer; Getty Images for Hyundai; Courtesy of Rockefeller Center
Lego FIFA World Cup Trophy and Play Zone
A giant Lego FIFA World Cup Trophy was unveiled at Rockefeller Plaza during the round of 16. Built from more than 1.36 million Lego bricks, it is one of the largest Lego creations ever made, and a team of 59 experts spent 7,040 hours constructing the 27-foot-tall installation. Nearby, Lego’s Play Zone encouraged fans to add to collaborative mural builds, create their own jerseys and snap photos.
Photo: Courtesy of Rubenstein Communications
Panini’s Mobile Tour and Record-Breaking Sticker Exchange
FIFA’s exclusive partner for official stickers, trading cards and digital collectibles, Panini America hit the road with four mobile tour vehicles that traveled across the U.S. and Canada, from Florida and New York to California, Illinois and Ontario.
Alongside the tour, Panini set up shop at the Fan Village at Rockefeller Center, where fans could discover Panini’s FIFA World Cup collection, receive albums, exchange cards and stickers with other collectors, create stickers, meet athletes, and try interactive soccer challenges. (Partners: KTS Event Productions, agency; Elevate Global, staffing)
On July 12, Panini broke the Guinness World Record for the largest sports sticker exchange in eight hours (multiple venue), with 4,446 one-to-one swaps completed across four locations in the U.S. and Mexico, surpassing the previous record of 2,577.
Photos: Panini America; Courtesy of Elevate Global
Reddit’s “Soccer People Are the Best” Pop-up
Since the start of the tournament, World Cup conversations on Reddit have gone up more than 4,190%, racking up 183.1 million views. So, the brand tweaked its “People Are the Best” campaign for a one-day-only “Soccer People Are the Best” fan experience at The Oculus in New York City.
The June 30 pop-up featured the Reddit Kick Zone and other soccer-themed games, prizes, exclusive merch, photo ops, and appearances by the brand’s mascot, Snoo. Fans also lined up to share their boldest World Cup opinions at Reddit’s Hot Takes video booth. (Agency: RQ)
Photo credit: Reddit/Westfield Rise on LinkedIn
Teremana’s 525-Foot-Long Foosball Table
Another successful Guinness World Record attempt, Teremana Tequila built the world’s longest foosball table, gathering more than 500 fans together for a larger-than-life match on July 11 at Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City. The 525-foot-long foosball table represented a continuation of Teremana’s “Share the Table, Share the Mana” campaign.
Throughout the day, attendees played on the record-breaking table, customized jerseys with patches from the 48 World Cup participating nations, collected personalized player cards, captured content at custom photo installations and sipped on Teremana cocktails. Actor Jay Pharoah and ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge provided live commentary and conducted fan interviews. (Agency: Wolfgang)
Photo: Courtesy of Teremana Tequila
Trojan G.O.A.T. Semi Spectacle
Trojan took over Brewhouse Café in Atlanta on July 14 and 15 for a watch party event that invited attendees to enjoy a drink on the brand’s tab. Plus, they could snag exclusive branded giveaways, customize their gear at the patch lab, play bench soccer games and hang out with surprise guest and Miami Heat player Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Photo credit: Derek White, Getty Images
TUMS Food Match Cup
Soccer and food culture have come together for TUMS’s World Cup-inspired campaign that is also an extension of Haleon’s partnership with U.S. Soccer. The TUMS Food Match Cup features original recipe mashups developed by the brand and derived from the tournament’s competing countries, including The Plantain Dog with flavors from the U.S. and Paraguay; Kimchi Carnitas Tacos, blending Korean and Mexican culinary traditions; and Raclette Poutine, combining Swiss alpine comfort food with a Canadian classic.
TUMS is bringing the campaign to life with a Food Match Cup Food Truck Tour making 14 stops at retail locations, where consumers can try the recipes, pick up TUMS samples and interact with photo ops. Through the end of the tournament, fans can visit a microsite to spin the daily wheel for a chance to unlock a new recipe mashup, along with a recommended TUMS product pairing, and enter for a chance to win prizes.
Photo: Courtesy of TUMS
