12 Of The Best World Cup Ads Ever Made

Every four years, the well-lushed lawns of the best stadiums of a country welcomes the world’s best footy stars to display their skills, thrill their fans, excite their countrymen and sadly, many times break the heart – and maybe fortune of the lovers of the World’s most popular game. But above all, every football star dreams of Victory and lifting the golden cup.


One of the biggest cultures we look forward to during tournaments like these are the best commercials from sportswear manufacturing giants like Nike and the other big names. Let’s face it, Nike has become the brand every Brand dreams of beating when making a football ad. Over the years, we have had some iconic commercials which stand out. So today, we are profiling the 12 most outstanding World Cup Ads.
The list, in no particular order – and from our point of view, is based on the level of creativity and the execution style.

McDonald’s GOL! FIFA World Cup Ad
A collage of trick shots from a 10 year-old soccer star Ciaran Duffy, Argentine model Fiorella Castillo in heels showing off impressive skills, and an elderly man whose acrobatic skills with the ball which will make a teenager jealous. McDonalds’ Gol probably did not have the big budget of the likes of Nike, but it does have some of the superb and candid trick shots filmed, and is proof that some of the best ads don’t come from having the biggest stars and gimmicks in it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T7zyezBkuY

Pepsi: Bavaria
The last thing that comes to mind when you see a German pub and folks in Lederhosen has to be football. But this twisted ad from Pepsi does a great job replacing beer with Pepsi, and features football legends such as David Beckham, Raul, Henry, Ronaldinho and the rest of the Pepsi Team as they play against the German Team. The ad is not only creative, but also pays homage to the German culture, as it was released during the World cup hosted in Germany in 2002.

Carlsberg Team Talk
Carlsberg’s 2010 Point Of View commercial similar to Nike’s “Take It to the Next Level” features an English Team player whose morale gets pumped up by his team manager, Stuart Pearce’s words. Carlsberg proudly states at the end of the ad “If Carlsberg did team talks”, obviously boasting about how inspiring they felt the talk was. This, we felt was motivating – regardless our non-allegiance to the English football team.

ESPN World Cup Ad
Blind dates could be very challenging. It could go on to become a successful relationship, or not. ESPN brilliantly introduces this commercial which effortlessly tied-in a blind date with a world cup match with coverage and commentary by Ian Darke – ESPN’s World Cup Commentator.

Adidas Footballitis
Probably one of the funniest World Cup ads ever made profiles a new incurable fever called Footballitis, where victims suffer from unstoppable addiction to football. The advert features popular referee Collina, and football Stars, Beckham, Zidane, Barthez, Deisler, Raul, Costa, Aimar and Del Piero.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5kCY_SbjXU

DIRECTV World Cup Ad
This brilliant ad features Popular Hollywood Director, Oliver Stone as the Director of the world cup in a game that stars Augero and Falco. He stops a game like he would in a movie production and asks the players to put up a performance with more intensity for the audience to better-feel the performances of the footballers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rljq_KnTTuA

NIKE: Risk Everything
There is one thing all of the world’s biggest players must be sharing at this moment. That’s some intense amount of pressure. In an ad directed by Film Maker Jonathan Glazer, Nike tells a story in 60 seconds of the pressure three stars are under. Cristiano Ronaldo as the front runner and most popular star of Portugal, young Neymar who is making his first worldcup outing in the Legendary Number 10 jersey and Wayne Rooney of England who is yet to score a goal in the World cup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwxdEECNpZY

NIKE: THE SECRET TOURNAMENT
With an estimated Marketing budget of $100 million, the Nike 2002 World Cup Ad which featured about 24 football stars was bound to be commercially successful. Even Nike’s president Mark Parker called the commercial “the most successful Nike had ever executed”.

NIKE: The Next Level
A complex ad which takes us into the life of a young footballer as he rises from lower leagues all the way to the big leagues and world cup. This ad shot in first-person view, shows film Maker Guy Ritchie display his signature fast cuts in telling a complex but brilliant story.

NIKE: Write The Future
Get Knighted, or end up in a Caravan. Get your own biopic, stadium and statue or crash the economy. This is arguably the best world cup ad ever made, which all the biggest football stars of 2010 get to write their future based on the decision they make on the pitch. Write The Future will not be forgotten for a long time.

Nike Football Ad Airport Scene

In one of the favorite World cup ads of all time, Stars of the Brazilian National team such as Ronaldo, Romario, Roberto Carlos and Denilson play football, and beating airport security round the airport while apparently waiting for their flight to France. It features a cameo from French legend Eric Cantona. The perfect touch to this ad? Sérgio Mendes’ “Mas Que Nada”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YePFGhCC7ro

Nike: The Last Game 2014
Lastly, we have Nike’s latest ad. An animated ad which could also double as a short film which features some of the biggest stars of our generation including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr., Rooney, Zlatan, Iniesta, Ribery, Tim Howard and David Luiz. The ad features the stars battle scientifically created football clones who play football ruthlessly, with nothing to lose. It’s a simple story which was well-shot and translated to a brilliant ad which made no mistake taking a cue from Disney/Pixar’s “The Incredibles”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy1rumvo9xc

So, there you have it. Etu Odi’s top 12 world cup ads. Did we skip one you feel deserves to be on this list? Share with us your favorites!

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