What It Took for Ads to Break Through at the 2026 World Cup

The most effective ads moved beyond the traditional "on the field" and "sports bar" setting and leverage distinctive product iconography, according to Ipsos research.

The landscape for attention in the World Cup is different from other major sporting events. In that highly competitive environment, many World Cup ads had star power, but few were truly distinctive, leading to below-average recognition and brand linkage.

As the 2026 World Cup progressed, more Americans jumped on the bandwagon and engaged with the tournament — a promising sign for advertisers who bet big on the games. 

In the weeks leading up to the first U.S.-hosted World Cup in three decades, just 26% of Americans said they were excited.

U.S. Excitement Grew

 Live tournament play  (and a strong showing from the U.S. team)  changed that. By the end of June, nearly half (44%) of Americans said they were watching the World Cup, 38% said they were excited, and one in four (24%) said the World Cup had increased their general interest in soccer.

For advertisers, this bandwagon moment made the World Cup a rare opportunity to reach a growing and increasingly passionate audience by placing their brands at the center of a cultural moment.

The American audience for the World Cup may have grown, but the landscape for advertisers still differs from other major sports.

With continuous play and fewer commercial breaks compared to the Super Bowl and Olympics, FIFA World Cup ad engagement resembles that of the Winter Olympics, with only 25% of viewers highly engaged compared to the Super Bowl's 63%.

The brutal truth: Most ads were forgettable.

Breaking through was hard to do in 2026. Ipsos post-tested 23 World Cup-related ads across three categories — finance and telecom, beverages (both non-alcoholic and alcoholic), and apparel — to understand which ads people remembered seeing. On average, ads were not overly memorable to general population category users, falling below Ipsos TV norms for Ad Recognition and Brand Linkage.

Why did this happen? Many World Cup ads leveraged the same well-known celebrities, with similar insights about soccer fans and all-too-familiar tropes like watching the games in person or at a sports bar. The result: A “sea of sameness” that made it hard to recognize a specific ad or what brand it was for.

The key to breaking through the clutter is to “think outside the pitch.” Ads that were memorable and achieved good branding tended to take place outside of traditional “on field” or “in bar” settings, highlighted the product clearly, and leveraged brand iconography early and often.

Why a Coca-Cola Ad Broke Through

Coca-Cola’s “No Better Feeling” was one of the best performing ads in the beverage category post-test, showing above-norm ad recognition and brand linkage.

The ad grabs attention with close-up shots of the highly expressive faces and outsized emotional reactions of soccer fans as they watch a match unfold. Then it seals the deal with iconic brand assets like the distinctive shape of its bottle, present in many scenes throughout the ad.

This combination of brand imagery and fandom positions Coca-Cola not just as the beverage of choice, but as an embodiment of what it means to celebrate the World Cup — evoking a sense of shared excitement and elevating its appeal as a fun, approachable brand that resonates with fans around the world.

Coca-Cola had an advantage before the World Cup ads: Its long-standing FIFA sponsorship helped it earn the #1 position in unaided brand awareness among World Cup advertisers in a survey fielded before the tournament began.

But “No Better Feeling” earned above-norm recognition and brand linkage among those who recognized the ad, with three in four Americans who recognized the ad agreeing that Coca-Cola “is a brand for people like me.”

It was relatability and the emotional impact made by the ad. As one person put it, “The ads had this fun, good energy with the football tie-in … Coke's was more emotional though.”

How World Cup Differs from Super Bowl

The World Cup is a singular opportunity for brands to connect with soccer fans — but between the continuous play and the limited ad breaks, it’s a different landscape for attention than the Super Bowl or other American megaevents. Brands need to go beyond generic settings and by-the-numbers celebrity cameos in order to make a real impact.

The key to breaking through is to “think outside the pitch.” Ads that were memorable and achieved good branding tended to take place outside of traditional “on-field” or “in-bar” settings, highlight the product clearly, and leverage brand iconography early and often