Could these famous faces be the real MVPs of World Cup marketing?

The FIFA World Cup has never been short on star power. While football's biggest names continue to dominate headlines, brands are increasingly looking beyond the pitch, tapping celebrities, cultural icons and familiar faces to cut through the noise of the world's most-watched sporting event.

Whether it's a football legend, a global superstar or an unexpected partnership, the right personality can turn a campaign into a talking point and help brands connect with fans in ways that feel more personal, memorable and shareable.

Here are the brands that are putting famous faces front and centre in their World Cup campaigns.

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1. Apple 

Few footballers are as closely associated with celebration as Vinícius Júnior, making him a natural fit for Apple's latest AirPods Pro 3 campaign. Titled "Dança", the film follows the Real Madrid star dancing through noisy city streets while remaining completely immersed in his own world.

Rather than relying on a celebrity cameo alone, Apple builds the creative idea around Vini Jr.'s signature goal celebrations and personality. By never revealing the music he is listening to, the campaign invites viewers to imagine their own soundtrack while demonstrating the earbuds' noise-cancelling capabilities, turning one of football's most recognisable stars into the centrepiece of the story.

Read more here. 

2. LEGO 

LEGO took a simple idea and gave it a star-studded twist ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026: everyone wants a piece of the game. To bring that message to life, the brand enlisted Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Vini Jr. for its new LEGO Editions platform, turning football fandom into a buildable experience.

The quartet stars in a campaign film centred on constructing the FIFA World Cup trophy brick by brick, reinforcing LEGO's message that every fan can have a place in the game. Beyond the hero film, the stars anchor a broader ecosystem of football-themed sets, fan activations and pop-up experiences, helping LEGO connect football fandom with creativity, play and collectability.

Read more here. 

3. Lenovo 

Lenovo's World Cup campaign came with a distinctly local touch thanks to the appointment of Fandi Ahmad as its official brand ambassador. As one of Singapore football's most recognisable figures, Fandi became the face of a programme spanning fan experiences, community activations and technology-led initiatives ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026.

Beyond fronting the campaign, Fandi played an active role across Lenovo's World Cup programme, from meet-and-greets and live appearances to an AI-powered coaching pilot developed with ITE. The partnership also extended to his son, Irfan Fandi, helping Lenovo connect football, technology and youth culture through a familiar local figure.

Read more here. 

4. OpenAI 

Football's most decorated playmaker found a new creative outlet this World Cup season through a partnership with OpenAI. In the first collaboration of its kind for the company, Messi used ChatGPT Images to create a match-day visual inspired by Argentina's colours, kicking off a campaign designed to encourage fans to express their support through AI.

Rather than simply appearing in an advertisement, Messi became part of the product experience itself. His prompt was made available as a preset style within ChatGPT Images, inviting supporters to create their own team-inspired visuals and positioning the football icon as the face of a new form of fan participation ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026.

Read more here. 

5. Wang Lao Ji 

A Norwegian football superstar speaking Mandarin was not on many marketers' World Cup bingo cards, but that is exactly what made WALOVI's partnership with Erling Haaland so memorable. The herbal tea brand enlisted the Manchester City striker as its global ambassador, with Haaland appearing in campaign videos and even delivering the brand's iconic Chinese slogan.

The collaboration generated significant buzz by pairing one of football's biggest stars with a nearly 200-year-old Chinese heritage brand. Beyond lending his celebrity appeal, Haaland became the vehicle through which WALOVI introduced its wellness positioning to a global audience, helping translate a distinctly Chinese cultural concept into something football fans around the world could engage with.

Read more here. 

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