News
Adidas is entering the 2026 World Cup marketing race with a major ad led by actor Timothée Chalamet, alongside Bad Bunny and Lionel Messi, as it looks to capitalize on the tournament being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico to drive sales, especially in the U.S. market, which the company sees as its biggest long-term opportunity.
Details
• The ad centers on a neighborhood soccer match played on a basketball court, with Chalamet playing the manager of an amateur team in a three-team match.
• The ad features sports and entertainment stars including Bad Bunny, Messi, Trinity Rodman and Jude Bellingham, while symbolically nodding to 1990s icons such as David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane.
• The ad is part of Adidas’ ongoing “You Got This” campaign and serves as the centerpiece of a global World Cup marketing push.
• Adidas is betting that the 2026 edition, held in North America in June and July, will be more commercially attractive than the 2022 Qatar World Cup, which took place in winter and included restrictions on beer sales inside stadiums.
• WARC Media expects the 2026 World Cup to add about $10.5 billion to global ad spending in the second quarter, compared with years without the tournament.
• However, WARC does not expect the tournament to generate additional ad-spending growth inside the United States this year.
• Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden said America represents the company’s biggest long-term opportunity because Adidas still trails far behind rival Nike there.
• Adidas plans to hold live events in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, Toronto and New York, alongside traditional advertising.
What’s Next?
Adidas will try to turn the momentum of a North American World Cup into real gains in the U.S. market. But the bet is not guaranteed, especially given the historically softer U.S. appetite for international soccer and Nike’s dominance in the market.
