At MetLife Stadium on 19 July, the account says, Kevin Hart and Shakira presented Michelob ULTRA’s Superior Player of the Match trophy to Spain’s Ferran Torres after the final. It was a compact piece of theatre: celebrity hosts, a winner’s image and a branded object designed for instant circulation.
Michelob’s strategy reportedly began with fan participation, using the Club World Cup as a rehearsal before scaling its approach. Ricardo Marques, the brand’s senior vice-president of marketing, said: “There's always the temptation to reinvent brands. But we are better off when we go to the core DNA of what these brands are.”
Taittinger took a quieter route. The family champagne house reportedly used the tournament to deepen relationships with importers, distributors and partners, including 4,000 tickets and a limited-edition bottle reflecting the three host nations.
“When we announced that we would be official Champagne for the World Cup, I never saw such enthusiasm from our partners all over the world,” said Vitalie Taittinger. The value here was less about a viral clip than access, belonging and long-term commercial ties.
Lenovo’s reported contribution went deeper still, with devices, engineers, wayfinding systems, referee-camera support and AI tools woven into tournament operations. Jeff Shafer, the company’s chief communications officer, offered the clearest measure of success: “If the only thing people know after this is done is that Lenovo is a computer company that sponsored the World Cup, we have failed.”
The next World Cup sponsorship cycle will be judged by that standard. Fans may remember the trophy, the hospitality or the technology-but only if the branding improves the tournament rather than interrupting it.