The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the largest in history, is now in full swing.
As the FIFA World Cup season returns after four years, brands at home and abroad are rolling out campaigns. In particular, they are expanding their touchpoints with fans through social networking service (SNS) challenges, giveaway events and even local cheering programs for consumers attending matches in person. The trend reflects a growing effort to respond to more diverse ways of watching games and participating as consumers.
Analysts say this shift shows that the World Cup is no longer a one-off event focused only on the result of a match on game day. It has evolved into a structure that shares the full narrative with fans, from the excitement of waiting for the tournament to the energy of match day and the lingering afterglow once the festival ends. That also aligns with younger generations, who enjoy the entire process as one experience rather than focusing only on isolated outcomes. The popularity of following the KBO League over a long season or of Advent Calendars that turn waiting into a game suggests that a culture that values the process itself is already deeply rooted in everyday life. As a result, brands are also shifting away from focusing on a single D-day and toward providing organic experiences throughout the festival.
Among the brands that have long accompanied the FIFA World Cup journey, Coca-Cola stands out. Coca-Cola Korea has carried out a wide range of consumer participation campaigns tailored to each World Cup season, including the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, street cheering events with beverage sampling, away cheering programs and limited-edition package launches. Through these efforts, it has sought to help fans become more deeply immersed and more actively involved.
The value Coca-Cola has consistently pursued through the FIFA World Cup is expanding fan participation. This tournament is no exception. Under the campaign message, "Every moment of the FIFA World Cup, with Coca-Cola," the company is continuing its long history of engagement so football fans can enjoy the festival in their daily lives.
Football has a special connection with Coca-Cola. The company has run stadium advertising at every World Cup since the 1950 Brazil FIFA World Cup, and in 1978 it became an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup. That partnership has since grown into one of the longest in global sports history.
Above all, the company has expanded the festival beyond the stadium. Its signature initiatives include the Trophy Tour, which travels to countries around the world before the tournament opens, the release of the FIFA World Cup anthem created in collaboration with global artists for each tournament, and limited-edition package launches that capture the excitement of the event in the product itself.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola began in 2006 to give people who could not easily visit a host city or the final venue a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the original trophy in person. This year marks its 20th anniversary. The tour began in Saudi Arabia earlier this year and successfully completed its official schedule in Mexico City on June 8 after traveling for about 150 days across 30 member countries and 75 regions. In January, it also visited Korea and gave local football fans an unforgettable experience.
Coca-Cola Korea has also been running the FIFA World Cup cheering squad project every World Cup season since the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, sending supporters to the tournament site to cheer on the Taeguk Warriors. For this World Cup, an away cheering squad of about 70 people, including winners of the "2026 FIFA World Cup away cheering travel package" event held in March for Coca-Cola and Powerade consumers, cheered on site at the opening match, "South Korea vs. the Czech Republic." aespa's Karina and Winter, as well as singer Kwon Eun-bi, also joined the "Coca-Cola away cheering squad" in Mexico.
It also prepared a prediction event. By scanning a QR code displayed on the World Cup broadcast screen, participants could enter for a chance to win Coca-Cola products and actual match balls, among other prizes. The event was designed so that watching from home could also feel like participatory cheering.
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola's long-running limited-edition tradition has also returned. This season, the company unveiled the "Coca-Cola 26 FIFA World Cup participating nations package," inspired by eight countries, including South Korea, Brazil, Spain, France, Argentina, England, Germany and the United States, capturing the vibrant energy of the FIFA World Cup.
A Coca-Cola Korea official said, "The FIFA World Cup campaigns Coca-Cola has carried out over the years are meaningful because they have expanded the tournament into a festival that anyone can join and enjoy," adding, "As a long-time partner of FIFA, Coca-Cola plans to continue broadening opportunities for participation so fans can enjoy the World Cup more closely."
Kim So-hyung, compact@sportschosun.com
