The Real World Cup Is Happening Off the Field: The Battle for Attention.
The 2026 World Cup is in full swing, and the brand war is raging on screens worldwide. This year, advertisers have abandoned ultra-serious slow-motion spots to inject humor, audacity, and pop culture into their campaigns.
Here is the ranking of the 10 best commercials of the 2026 World Cup, acclaimed by both critics and consumers.
1. Adidas – Backyard Legends 🏆
This is the undisputed masterpiece of this World Cup. Directed as a 5-minute short film, the spot stars actor Timothée Chalamet as a street recruiter in New York, seeking to assemble the ultimate team to beat local legends undefeated for 30 years. The cast is stratospheric: Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Trinity Rodman, accompanied by AI-rejuvenated versions of Zidane, Beckham, and Del Piero. A gem of nostalgia and pop culture.
2. Lay’s – Most Epic Watch Party 🍟
Lay’s strikes a big blow with a hilarious comedy. David Beckham is hosting a watch party in his luxurious Miami villa with Thierry Henry and Steve Carell, but realizes they are out of chips. What follows is a run to the supermarket where they invite every customer holding a bag of Lay’s back to Beckham’s. The party turns into chaos, Steve Carell starts halftime karaoke, and Lionel Messi shows up at the last minute.
3. LEGO – Everyone Wants a Piece 🧱
LEGO earns a very well-deserved spot on the podium. The brand recreated the World Cup trophy in bricks. We see animated figurines of Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo, Vinícius Jr., and Messi fight humorously to place the very last piece on the trophy, before a child steps in to dictate their own rules. Creative, playful, and cross-generational.
4. Nike – Rip the Script 🎬
The American giant responds to Adidas with a high-octane 6-minute spot. When an overly rigid Hollywood director asks players to follow a “no improvisation” script, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Jr. tear up the scenario. They escape the set and cross other ongoing shoots (a level of Fortnite, a Travis Scott music video, and cameos by Kim Kardashian and LeBron James). A chaotic and ultra-fast-paced blockbuster.
5. Irn-Bru – The Tartan Army 🏴
This is the European surprise of this ranking. The Scottish drink brand Irn-Bru produced a spot hailed by research firm System1 as the consumer favorite. Driven by total self-deprecation and incredible fervor, the spot celebrates Scotland’s return to the world stage. Funny, biting, and deeply human.
6. Brahma – Let Yourself Believe 🇧🇷
The Brazilian beer brand brilliantly plays on the cords of superstition and fate. The spot shows Brazilians recreating mythical football actions in the street. The climax? Italian legend Roberto Baggio leaves a restaurant and accepts, with enormous self-mockery, to replay his famous 1994 missed penalty, symbolically offering another star to Brazil under the watchful eye of Carlo Ancelotti.
7. BBC – Let’s Make It Iconic 📺
The British channel shines with its editorial and artistic approach. Designed in stop-motion by Blinkink, the commercial transforms iconic fan objects (knitted scarves, retro badges, sticker albums) into real animated theaters that retrace the history of the World Cup. An intimate and beautiful ode to fan culture.
8. Michelob ULTRA – The Superior Match 🇺🇸
The American beer brand imagines a completely improvised match in the lobby of a major American hotel. On one side,Team USA (Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson); on the other, Team Argentina (Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez).Hotel guests get in on the game, including an improvised referee, under the amused gaze of the legendary Ronaldo (R9) and actor Billy Bob Thornton.
9. Budweiser – Let It Pour 🍺
Narrated by a more charismatic than ever Jürgen Klopp, this commercial highlights the collective emotion across the world during matches. The spot tips into the fantastic when a fan, in full celebration of an Erling Haaland goal, imagines being transported into a photo booth alongside the Norwegian striker and… Godzilla. A very successful visual frenzy.
10. Volkswagen – O Sonho (The Dream) 🚗
A very strong narrative commercial from Brazil. The spot opens on scenes of jubilation as Brazil has just won the 2026 World Cup final. We see the raw joy of fans in the streets, before the spot reveals that it is only a collective dream, shared by fans aboard an electric vehicle driven by Carlo Ancelotti. A superb metaphor for the hope and anticipation created by football.
