FIFA World Cup 2022 has gotten into its last stage where France and Argentina will lock horns in the final tonight. With Saudi Arabia defeating Argentina, Japan getting the better of Germany, and South Korea and Morocco each thrashing Portugal, this has been a tournament of upsets.
Despite Qatar doing everything it could to be the perfect host, the western media did everything to play spoilsport. And the events that unfolded during the tournament did give them an element of credibility. Protests by German players, a dead journalist, and heartbreaks after match results- this World Cup has been a story of anger, frustration, and disappointments.
Thankfully, the ads released before and during the tournament weren’t as disappointing. So, here we are with 5 awesome World Cup 2022 commercials that will set the tone for the big day.
1. Bleacher Report: Unreal World Cup
This commercial by Bleacher Report is a kid’s dream as it features some of the most popular football stars around the world like Kylian Mbappé, Gareth Bale, Harry Kane, Davies or Pedri, apart from Messi and Ronaldo, albeit in an animated version.
The 90-second spot by the sports portal shows a kid playing with his Messi and Ronaldo toys. But as soon as he leaves the room, the toys spring to life and chaos ensues. In the boy’s absence, the toys fight for the soccer ball in different actions. You’d have hoped that this ad would finally settle the question of who’s the greatest of all time- Messi or Ronaldo. But that is not to be as the ad only further intensifies the debate.
2. Nike: Footballverse
The concept of throwing in multiple football stars in an ad before a world cup is always going to work. And Nike’s marketing team knows that perfectly well.
To excite fans in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup 2022, Nike came up with the Footballverse idea which shows some of the best players of all time competing against each other to show which one of them is better than the other. The ad shows a snowy mountain in Switzerland where a team of scientists believes that they have cracked the code and created a world where football legends, both from the past and present, square off against one another.
The ad features Nike players like Christiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazário, and Sam Kerr. Could one really ask for more?
3. Pepsi Max: Nutmeg Royale
Leonel Messi, Paul Pogba, and Ronaldinho- that’s all the ingredients you need to come up with a kickass commercial. But as amazing as this advertisement is, the Qataris really did a number on these stars until Messi did what he does best- mesmerize everyone with his game.
The star-studded ad campaign shows the three football legends playing in an epic match alongside the locals. The action-packed advert is full of humor, cameos, and trick shots, and is aided by an upbeat soundtrack.
4. Puma: Fearless
This wonderful ad by Puma features the Puma Fam, which includes top players like Neymar Jr., Memphis Depay, and Antoine Griezmann, alongside younger players like Nikita Parris, Christian Pulisic, and Romeo Beckham.
The commercial, which begins on a bus, presents viewers with the right mix of music, sports, fashion, and youth culture. The ad shows one of the youngsters on the bus mentioning Neymar’s fearless approach while playing. The word finds resonance with his friends and comes to life throughout the ad.
5. Fox Sports: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
And now the last and probably the most important ad! Not many gave this world cup a chance of succeeding in its efforts of drawing attention from football fans. For one, the tournament was being held in December when half of the world is busy with the Christmas festivities. The fact that the tournament was to be held in a hot Arab country was another point of concern for most media pundits. Add to it the questions being raised about Qatar’s human rights violations, and you’d know the tournament is going to be a damp squib.
But this commercial by Fox Sports perfectly sums up all the concerns and efforts required to address those concerns. The ad shows Jon Hamm starring as Santa Clause and features the Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey along with football legend Tom Brady.
All you need are a lot of sweaters, some freshly baked cookies, a little nutmeg, and a few thousand Mbappé t-shirts to make December the most wonderful time of the year in 2022- that’s what Santa thinks.
Wrapping Up
And that was a wrap of the best FIFA World Cup 2022 ads. Honestly, I don’t think the timing of this world cup could have been any better. Also, Qataris have been great hosts to everyone regardless of their political views. Thankfully, the world cup commercials this year were just as kickass as arrangements made by Qatar authorities for the tournament.
We’ll be back with more amazing commercials for you. Till then, stay tuned.