Copywriting and Content Writing Tips For The 2026 World Cup

Fútbol Is Life: In just over a month before the World Cup kicks off (see what I did?), but in the marketing/content world that's like just over 24 hours:...

Because the world cup is taking place in three different countries this time, things can get a little hectic in the content department. Sort of like facing a three-headed monster that's kicking a ball. On the other hand, from a creative point of view, it can open more opportunities. The advantage, in this day ond age of social media and instant posting, is that you don't need a big budget. But it's oh so crucial that you know as much about the world cup as the back of your hand. You need to know the national teams that are playing (and those that are not), the names of the star players as well as 'regular' players, rules, game schedule, TV schedule, etc.

There's plenty of inspiration to look at, such as Kia's World Cup campaign, or these recent additions (what says 'world cup' more than David Beckham and Steve Carrel?)

It's a packed stadium, so...Here are Copywriting and Content Writing Tips For The 2026 World Cup!

Riff on football quotes...

Remember the classic 'Football is played ninety minutes, and in the end, Germany wins.' - Gary Linekar.

How about 'a Snickers bar is consumed in ninety seconds, and in the end, satisfaction wins.' Or if you're a marketer: Our content plan is played 30 days, and in the end, your campaign wins.'

Even the animals are into football...

Here's another, from the great Bill Shankly: Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.

You can turn it into... 'some think that pizza is a matter of life and death. It's more serious than that.' (Depends, of course, on your product/service).

I highly recommend checking out these quotes for inspiration.

 'An American, A Canadian, an a Mexican walk into a bar...'

Infuse your copywriting/content with football lingo, such as: Is your marketing offside? Don't wait for your audience to give you the yellow card...it's almost kickoff time - are you ready? Extra time is almost over for this offer...Free kick & 20% off for the next 24hrs only!

Who is your audience? An older crowd will understand references to players such as Pele, Maradona, Cruyf, Romario, Ronaldo (the 'Brazilian). The younger generation will gravitate more to Messi, Harry Kane, Lamin Yamal, Christiano Ronaldo (of course, there are players that cross generations, such as David Beckham, Ronhaldino). Then again, football fans will know footballs from most eras, so you really can't "miss" by much...

Simple, elegant and needs very few words.

From a copywriting and content creation standpoint, the World Cup has always been a creative oasis for marketers of soft drinks, sporting apparel, travel destinations, and more (like the Super Bowl, only longer, better, and more enjoyable -but that's for another blogpost). There are decades of examples to choose from, and I would take the time to do a bit of browsing of print and videos (hello again YouTube). Because you can draw a lot of inspiration.

You'll find out that many World Cup ads are extremely visual, with few words, but convey the message nonetheless, like MacDonald's with this ad:

In the past, the focus was mainly on print ads ad billboards. Heck, you even had huge, large-than-life football inspired bridges to keep drivers energized with fever pitch while driving on the way to work, or on the way home. However, with today's attention span at a premium, how do you make your brand seen/heard/talked about/shared? That, my football loving friends, is the question, which should be the focal point of brain/football storming sessions in the weeks to come (if you haven't started already).

You can't go wrong with trivia. a) it's sports and b) it's Fútbol - you have an enormous amount of resources to use to entice readers for potential CTAs, subject lines, headers, 'how to' guides, and more.

Example?

Unlike the game itself, you have an unlimited amount of substitutions, so if an ad, banner or other content piece is not bringing the requisite results, you can swiftly replace it with something else.

Take advantage of the international stage and fuse different cultural references in a single or even message, banners, or any other piece of copywriting or promotional content. For example, imagine the mighty Thor playing football against Robin Hood, or, Leonardo Da Vinci stopping a a King Louis penalty kick. Or wearing a national team banner.

The beauty of a month-long tournament like the world cup, is that it allows you to take advantage of stats, scores, updates, upsets, etc, to throw your own hat into the celebration and make your brand, company or service, no matter how big or small, part of the action in some way.

Word of advice: Keep politics out - not even on the proverbial substituion bench...yes, maybe you'll go viral (for the wrong reasons) and get shared (again, for the wrong reason), but, like a cocky South American taking a penalty kick 'pannanka style,' it can backfire horribly for you, and your team.

And to avoid confusion...

Remember: All you need is to be quick on the uptake, follow the scores, remember the names, who makes the big plays (and big 'oops' moments) and a couple of brainstorming sessions. Oh, and watch the games. That will help also.

Finally, remember the most important word that should be in your content...?

GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAL!!!!!

Extra time: Try and look up the word 'goal' in various languages. How can you implement in your copywriting and content?

Enjoy the world cup! And remember: Fútbol Is Life. At least for a month.

Looking for some help with world cup #copywriting and/or #content? Let's connect!