By Caitlin O'Sullivan | @deca.caitlin | Florida Atlantic University DECA, FL
This past summer, the FIFA World Cup brought 48 countries to the United States, Mexico, and Canada to participate in a soccer (or football) tournament of epic proportions. However, this tournament offered more than just 104 action-packed games; it offered people the chance to connect through countless stories, trends, memes, and more. As other athletic seasons start going into full swing, let’s take a moment to recap two memorable marketing and promotional moments from the World Cup.
Online Presences:
During the World Cup, various teams, countries, companies, and athletes took to social media to build their followings and engage in the soccer-fanbases online. However, when it comes to the strongest online presences during the world cup tournament, two accounts come to mind: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Erling Haaland.
These two instagram accounts received a great deal of attention from other social media users for their frequent online presences and tendencies to pop up in the comment sections of reels and posts. Although Bosnia and Haaland appeared carefree with their witty social media comments, these comments actually served as a tactical way to promote each respective user’s personal image.
Both Bosnia and Haaland’s accounts used comment marketing, which is where brands and companies leave comments on viral posts and videos to promote themselves. This approach is useful because comments appeal to a large audience different from the user’s typical scope.
Comment marketing is becoming an increasingly common way for companies to promote their businesses to large audiences, and both Bosnia and Haaland’s instagram accounts accumulated thousands, even millions, of new followers as a result of their “always online” status.
The LEGO Campaign:
The FIFA World Cup also led thousands of companies to release themed merchandise and campaigns pertaining to the event. From partnerships to endorsements, various companies used the stardom surrounding this event to generate excitement about their own ideas and products. In particular, LEGO launched its “Everyone Wants a Piece” campaign, which was widely successful during the duration of the competition.
This campaign featured a viral advertisement with world-renowned soccer stars Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi. Alongside this ad, LEGO released various soccer-related sets, such as player-specific ones for each of the respective stars of the advertisement, in addition to more “traditional” sets such as the “LEGO Editions FIFA World Cup Official Trophy” build.
This campaign proved extremely successful in promoting LEGO products to soccer fanbases. This is partly due to LEGO’s strategic product positioning and focus on their soccer-loving target audience. These strategies are part of what made the campaign both successful and memorable overall during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Final Minutes:
When it comes down to it, the FIFA World Cup provided many companies with the opportunity to create targeted content appealing to a wide range of sports fans. Even though the games are over, we will be sure to remember these memorable strategies from beyond the pitch!
