Get your head in the game: Why the World Cup 2026 will determine marketing’s MVPs
Opinion
With second-screen viewing and spectators gathering in pubs, bars and fan zones, only the brands that can control duplication and connect exposures across environments will win the FIFA World Cup.
It’s no exaggeration to say that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest sporting contest ever staged. Forty-eight teams will compete across 104 matches at venues around the US, Canada, and Mexico in a cultural event of unprecedented proportions.
For players, this tournament will be career-defining. For football fans, it will be a memory that lasts for a lifetime. And for marketers, it’s a massive commercial opportunity. But how effectively they can take advantage of it will depend on their ability to get to grips with measurement, form credible data partnerships, and make full use of CTV’s expanding capabilities as both a performance and brand channel.
There will be a huge level of attention on the 2026 World Cup. The 2022 final drew more than 1.4 billion viewers. That tournament only had 32 teams and 64 matches. This time around, participation has increased by 50%; essentially, the equivalent of more than 100 Super Bowls in just under six weeks. And it’s not just committed sports fans that will be defined by the tournament; even people actively avoiding it will become a distinct audience.
Dribbling between broadcast, streaming and online video
The industry can’t rely on the media mix of previous tournaments. The way fans consume video has fragmented, with audiences moving across broadcast TV, streaming platforms, social video, and clips embedded in news and messaging apps. They might watch the first half on linear TV, catch highlights of the second half on their phone, and stream analysis on CTV later that night.
That’s why simply measuring reach and frequency separately across broadcast, CTV, social, and mobile doesn’t give a comprehensive insight into how people actually experience the event.
With second-screen usage spiking and offline shared viewing in pubs, bars and fan zones skewing metrics, only the brands that can control duplication and connect exposures across environments will be in a position to assess how their campaigns are driving outcomes rather than just ticking impression boxes.
CTV is the captain of the media team. It’s become a true full-funnel platform, where premium inventory, audience segmentation and measurable performance intersect.
While performance marketers may have traditionally focused on search and social, the 2026 World Cup offers an opportunity to be on the biggest screen in the home at moments when viewers will be highly engaged.
Broadcasters and streamers have recognised this and have been building self-service tools that offer buyers the same level of simplicity as the digital platforms that have come to dominate online video.
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Data partnerships will create marketing dream teams
Marketers’ tactics for 2026 can be much more advanced than in the past. Advertisers will look to build awareness early, then adapt their messaging as teams progress, sentiment shifts, and intent signals emerge. Due to the sheer density and volume of signals in the mix, data partnerships will be critical for keeping pace with the ups and downs of the World Cup.
No single brand, retailer or publisher can see the full picture of audience engagement journeys, so data collaboration will be required to connect exposures to outcomes.
Clean-room environments that allow first-party datasets to be matched with those of retailers and media owners and analysed securely are necessary to enable marketers to understand how campaigns influence buying behaviour. This will provide them with insights to inform their media planning strategies throughout the tournament and keep the momentum going afterwards.
Such collaborations also allow more effective audience segments to be built, bringing greater precision and authenticity to messaging and targeting. Marketers can identify which audiences are mobile-first, which want bilingual content, and which actually plan to travel to games or fan zones, then target them accordingly. With data-led segmentation, they can focus on being in the right area at the right moment with the right content.
DOOH and data capture take the game to the streets
Digital out-of-home (DOOH) will play a forward position in the 2026 FIFA World Cup campaigns, especially in host cities and national capitals.
Airports, train stations, fan zones, fast food restaurants and other city centre locations will be just as important as the stadium itself, giving brands that aren’t official partners or sponsors plenty of opportunities to connect with consumers in real-world locations where the hype is strongest.
By utilising real-time data, brands can adjust DOOH campaign messaging by the time of day or the result of the match.
As brands battle to stand out, those who can be smart with their campaigns in terms of dynamic creative approaches and hyperlocal activations give themselves the best chance of cutting through the noise. Traditional channels will be critical too, with radio delivering live updates to those stuck at work or in their car.
Marketers also need to keep one eye on the future; with fans actively searching, sharing, and interacting with content for weeks after the tournament, there’s plenty of scope for data capture.
Brands can build first-party relationships that last long after the trophy has been lifted and the parades have finished through QR codes, competitions, opt-ins, and personalised offers.
However, for this data capture to hold long-term value, marketers must first have a solid identity foundation that connects these signals into coherent customer profiles.
The real MVPs of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
For broadcasters and streamers, the challenge of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be to move past simply selling inventory and delivering proof of value to advertisers.
For brands, the conundrum centres on connecting with distinct audiences rather than focusing on individual channels. And for retailers and media owners, it is to help advertisers understand the link between exposure and outcomes. But all stakeholders must facilitate these collaborations without compromising partner trust or consumer privacy.
So forget Bellingham, Mbappé, Yamal and Vinicius Júnior. They may be the faces of World Cup campaigns, but the real MVPs (Most Valuable Players) will be those who can operate across fragmented measurement, those who can partner responsibly on data, and those who can make connected TV work as both a brand and a performance channel.
Christopher Hogg is the chief revenue officer at Lotame