📺 Iconic Ads
The commercials that became part of the tournament. Nike's airport samba and "Write the Future", adidas's star-studded spots, Coca-Cola and Budweiser's anthems, the World Cup as the world's biggest advertising stage.
Part of World Cup
14 moments in this segment.
- - adidas Tango - the ball that defined an era. The adidas Tango, introduced for the 1978 World Cup, became the template for tournament match balls for decades, its triads of curved panels one of sport's most recognisable designs.
- - World Cup anthems and official songs. From Italia 90's "Un'estate italiana" (Gianna Nannini and Edoardo Bennato) onward, the official World Cup song became a fixture, Ricky Martin's "La Copa de la Vida" in 1998, Shakira's "Waka Waka" in 2010, anthems sung worldwide.
- - Nike - "Airport" (Brazilian team samba). Nike's 1998 World Cup spot shows the Brazil national team, Ronaldo, Romário, Roberto Carlos, playing keepy-uppy and samba football through an airport terminal to "Mas Que Nada". One of the most beloved football ads ever made.
- - Nike - "Secret Tournament" (Scorpion KO). Nike's 2002 "Secret Tournament", directed by Terry Gilliam, pitted 24 stars in a caged three-a-side knockout to Elvis's "A Little Less Conversation", Cantona as referee, an instant classic of football advertising.
- - Pepsi - football star spots. Pepsi's long-running football campaigns pitted galaxies of stars, Beckham, Ronaldinho, Raúl, Roberto Carlos, in playful set-piece ads timed to the World Cup, the cola wars fought on the pitch.
- - Nike - "Joga Bonito". Nike's 2006 "Joga Bonito" ("play beautiful") campaign, fronted by Eric Cantona, celebrated skill and joy over cynicism, Ronaldinho's crossbar-juggling clip from the era becoming one of football's first viral videos.
- - adidas Jabulani - the ball everyone debated. The adidas Jabulani of 2010 became as talked-about as any advert, keepers and strikers complaining about its unpredictable flight, the rare case of a World Cup ball itself becoming the marketing story.
- - Nike - "Write the Future". Nike's 2010 epic imagines how a single moment could change a player's destiny, Rooney, Ronaldo, Ribéry, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. It won the Cannes Film Grand Prix and defined the World Cup ad spectacle.
- - adidas - "The Quest" / star-studded spots. adidas answered Nike with its own all-star 2010 campaign, packing Messi, Kaká, Beckham and a cast of celebrities into cinematic spots, the advertising arms race that turns every World Cup into a brand battleground.
- - Coca-Cola - "Wavin' Flag" celebration. Coca-Cola's 2010 World Cup anthem campaign, built around K'naan's "Wavin' Flag" and the African goal-celebration of the Roger Milla generation, became the unofficial soundtrack of the first African World Cup.
- - Shakira - "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)". Shakira's "Waka Waka", the official song of the 2010 World Cup, became one of the best-selling World Cup songs ever and a defining sound of the first African World Cup.
- - Budweiser - "The World Is Yours to Take". Budweiser's 2022 anthem starring Messi, Neymar, Sterling and VinÃcius Jr captured the build-up to Qatar, days before the host nation's last-minute stadium beer ban turned the sponsorship into its own story.
- - World Cup mascots - from World Cup Willie. The 1966 lion "World Cup Willie" was the first World Cup mascot; the tradition runs through Naranjito, Ciao, Footix, Zakumi and La'eeb, branding characters as much a part of each tournament as the football.
- - Panini sticker albums - "got, got, need". Panini's World Cup sticker albums, first produced for the 1970 tournament, turned collecting and swapping players into a global childhood ritual every four years, "got, got, need".
