How Nike, Levi’s and Taco Bell are winning
General view of the exterior of the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B match between Qatar and Switzerland on June 13, 2026 in Santa Clara, California.
Fran Santiago | Getty Images
As people around the world tune in to this summer’s World Cup, some of the loudest brands aren’t even official sponsors of the tournament.
Official sponsors of this year’s World Cup, held in cities in the USA, Canada and Mexico, include world-renowned names: adidas, Coca Cola and Qatar Airways.
But even before the tournament started, attention fell on the following companies: Levi Strauss & Co., Tako Bell and Texas-based convenience store chain Buc-ee’s. Some have gained traction on social media due to their creative marketing strategies, while others have benefited from organic customer response with an influx of international players and fans.
McDonald’s celebrated the tournament with limited-time menu items and trophies. Taco Bell has pivoted to a new campaign to support fans in celebration or support, depending on the outcome of the game.
According to marketing research firm WARC MediaAdvertising spending for this year’s World Cup tournament is expected to reach $10.5 billion. This is just below the approximately $12.6 billion in spending for the 2018 World Cup hosted by Russia.
Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower told CNBC that World Cup ad spending rose 42% on a weekly basis in the days leading up to the first match. The firm followed Taco Bell and Duracell increasing ad spending in the past few weeks; but the top 10 World Cup advertisers who spent in the last three months were sponsors or broadcast partners of the event.
In the run-up to the World Cup, non-sponsor brand collaborations generated nearly twice as much engagement as official sponsors, reaching nearly 61 million interactions versus just 33 million, according to market research firm Meltwater.
The company told CNBC that sponsored ads lead in terms of volume, distribution and creative quality, while non-sponsors help drive higher engagement, with the most social media engagement coming from TikTok.
The company stated that since the beginning of the tournament, non-sponsor brands have exceeded 57,000 on social media, while this figure for official sponsors is just over 43,000.
“The biggest takeaway from this World Cup is that you no longer need official sponsorship to have cultural moments,” Meltwater CEO John Box told CNBC. “The brands that will win the next tournament won’t necessarily be the ones with the biggest budgets, but rather those who are ready to see what’s trending in real time, have the creativity to tie it back to your brand, and have the speed to act before the moment passes.”
World Cup results
Kylian Mbappé’s Nike football cleats during French national team training at Bentley University in Boston, Massachusetts on June 20, 2026. The number 58 on the boots represents the goals Mbappé has scored for the national team.
Johnny Fidelin | Simge Sports | Getty Images
According to Meltwater, Coca-Cola and Adidas made up half of those mentioned as sponsors in preparation for the tournament. However, in the last 11 days before the first match on June 11, McDonald’s was the clear winner, with its engagement share increasing from 2.6% to 23%.
Among non-sponsors, Lego accounts for 82% of the top 50 most engaging non-sponsored posts on social media platforms, Meltwater said. The construction toy company’s World Cup campaign generated 12 times the sponsor average in the days leading up to the tournament.
NikeSaw the World Cup without an official tournament sponsor advertising More than 70 million views have been achieved on YouTube, featuring celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Travis Scott and Lebron James, as well as many World Cup stars such as Norway debutant Erling Haaland and Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sneaker rival Adidas reached nearly 7 million views advertising It stars actor Timothée Chalamet, Argentina captain Lionel Messi and more.
That difference is indicative of the winners and losers in the off-field advertising war during the tournament, according to Loyola Marymount University marketing professor Andrew Rohm.
“It was very interesting how these two brands took completely different approaches to their four- to five-minute content, and I loved Nike’s approach because it was completely on-brand, irreverent and unexpected,” Rohm told CNBC. “You don’t need to be an official sponsor to reconnect with the cultural social significance of a world-wide global event like the World Cup, especially if Nike has assets you can leverage towards that.”
As for the advertising winners of this year’s World Cup, Rohm said it was a battle between “the expected and the unexpected.” Companies that are not official sponsors and therefore not restricted by FIFA can have the most fun marketing, he said.
One of the brands that makes the best use of its lack of sponsorship is the denim brand Levi’s.
Since the company is not an official supporter of the tournament, branding at the host stadium in Santa Clara, California, had to be removed before the matches.
Loosely shaped like a jeans pocket, the Levi’s logo was covered in a white coating; but the move counter-intuitively created a stir among fans who reveled in the company on social media. In a similar move, the cover of razor brand Gillette’s logo at the stadium in Massachusetts mimicked shaving cream foam to alleviate the situation.
“What started as a naming rights sponsorship restriction on Levi’s Stadium has become the most commented and shared post in Levi’s history,” said Levi’s marketing manager Kenneth Mitchell. wrote last week. “Addressing this issue fully with a change of profile on our social channels sealed the deal.”
Mitchell added that “strong brand iconography” works for the company, as its distinctive logo remains recognizable even under the veneer.
According to Meltwater, Levi’s has led the strongest example of non-sponsor visibility through marketing, with mentions increasing by 44% since the start of the World Cup. The research firm found that engagement with the company nearly quadrupled after it pivoted to stadium marketing.
A changing advertising strategy
Jared Watson, an assistant professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business, said he saw brands having more fun marketing at this year’s tournament.
“I think, especially this year, you’re seeing these brands take a rebellious or defiant approach because they’re not officially aligned with FIFA, and so a lot of consumers are supporting these marketing initiatives, partly because it creates a sense of hostility to what’s going on,” Watson told CNBC. “This kind of negates the capitalist intent of FIFA.”
Brand success doesn’t come from marketing alone, but some companies recognize the frustration consumers are experiencing with the commercialization of global football, Watson said.
FIFA introduced mandatory hydration breaks during matches; for example, allowing more time for ads without disrupting the game. The timeouts have come under criticism from fans saying they are unnecessary and a money grab.
“There’s a sort of stick-to-the-guy mentality that we like to see these brands rebel against and push back because it’s in the spirit of the World Cup, which is unity and meritocracy,” Watson said. he said.
FIFA said in december The three-minute breaks were intended to prioritize “player welfare” and be “part of an initiative focused on providing the best possible conditions for players”.
Some brands experienced greater organic success as fans around the world experienced the culture of World Cup host cities, sharing about their newfound affinity with American general store chain Buc-ee’s and salad dressing company Hidden Valley Ranch.
“One of the things we’re seeing, which I think helps a lot of brands that maybe haven’t proactively decided to jump into the advertising fray, is we’re seeing the enjoyment of basic American things,” Watson said. “This has allowed many brands to quickly jump on these trends, or jump on them reactively in some way, and gain some well-deserved media.”
According to Northwestern University marketing associate professor Kelly Cutler, marketing that creates an emotional bond and appeals to people comes to the fore in the age of artificial intelligence.
“I think this is especially timely because I think people are feeling a little sensitive right now about all the media around AI and all the discussion about AI,” Cutler said. “So understanding on a human level how important it is for your team to win or lose is so fundamental and foundational and creates such a connection.”
Cutler also said marketing continues across generations, with younger consumers more aware of when they’re being sold and often more resilient. Companies that can establish a deeper connection with Generation Z will find the “golden goose of marketing,” he said.
He added that the World Cup could have wider implications for future brand partnerships for sponsoring companies constrained by FIFA regulations.
“Organizations, obviously, want those sponsorship dollars and they don’t want to have this kind of situation where brands that are paying nothing are getting a lot of attention and making headlines and having these really interesting results,” Cutler said. “So I think it will be interesting to watch how this affects future sponsorship programs.”
