Being a major sponsor of the FIFA World Cup since years, McDonald’s wanted to go big this time.
In early June, the World’s most famous fast food restaurant launched a memorable campaign, featuring World Cup soccer stars like Beckham, Ronaldinho, and other icons, for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
You’ve probably seen McDonald’s commercials these days, featuring David Beckham, South Korean striker Son Heung-min, Spanish striker Lamine Yamal, and former footballers Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho presenting the FIFA World Cup 26 menu.
But the soccer players aren’t the only protagonists of this campaign. The commemorative cups offered with the FIFA World Cup 26 Menu, available and advertised globally, are also becoming increasingly popular.
These items are authentic artistic celebrations of football culture. Each cup is a visually striking tribute, blending elaborate backgrounds, eye-catching typography, and vibrant color palettes, capturing the true spirit of international football.
The menu box has also been specially themed with a series of images that pay homage to soccer’s most famous icons. The cups, truly collectible, feature incredibly dynamic and stylized illustrations for each athlete depicted, paired with their respective nations. For the North American host nations, you can recognize striker Santiago Giménez representing Mexico, lightning-fast fullback Alphonso Davies capturing the energy of Canada, and superstar Christian Pulisic representing the United States.
Son Heung-min for Korea, David Beckham for England, Thierry Henry for France, Lamine Yamal for Spain, and icon Ronaldinho for Brazil are among the featured players.
The social media content included in the massive communication campaign, starting with short, humorous sketches between footballers, certainly boosts the cups’ virality.
The main ad opens with “archive footage” from each player’s career. Then it comes back to present with some funny scenes featuring them at a McDonald’s restaurant, where they interact with McDonald’s mascots like Grimace and Hamburglar. Finally, each player holds and admires their own version of the six commemorative mugs included with the menu.
