The 2026 FIFA World Cup has given brands a month-long opportunity to compete for attention far beyond the football pitch. In China, that competition is taking many forms. Some are betting on superstar athletes and nostalgia-fuelled fandom.
Others are leaning into humour, convenience or even self-deprecation to cut through the noise. From Erling Haaland singing for Wanglaoji and Yili turning subway stations into monuments to football’s greatest rivalry, to MINISO making a virtue of being too frugal to hire players at all, here are the campaigns and moments to note.
Taobao Flash Sale 淘宝闪购
Taobao Flash Sale has reunited with Yang Mi – China’s reigning queen of absurd advertising. We get a campaign film built around the realities of late-night football fandom.
The ad leans into three familiar pain points: staying awake, staying cool and staying fed. By packaging everything from coffee and milk tea to barbecue and lobster as ‘cups’, the campaign turns convenience into a gag – a gag that helps Taobao reinforce a serious message: whatever fans need during the tournament, it can probably be delivered.
Heinz 亨氏
Heinz has scored another offline hit for the World Cup, turning fries into footballers’ legs in a playful poster series that harks back to their National Games hit earlier this year.
Bicycle kicks, sliding tackles and match-winning shots are recreated with ketchup as the ball, linking the sport’s drama to Heinz’s ‘finishing touch’ appeal.
What’s cool here is that over the past year Heinz has built a simple but sticky sports-marketing language around taste, victory and snack-time ritual in China.
Wanglaoji 王老吉
Herbal tea brand Wanglaoji has signed football superstar Erling Haaland as global ambassador for its international brand WALOVI. The campaign riffs on Haaland’s playful side. The man goes from striker to singing frontman in an advert inspired by a popular fan chant.
This runs alongside puns on his name and a catchy soundtrack in a campaign that aims to boost WALOVI’s visibility overseas. Haaland makes for a recognizable face to build brand equity while reinforcing its positioning around health, nature and vitality. He solves a problem many Chinese brands often face when going abroad: not selling a product, but making it relatable and easy to understand.
Yili 伊利
Yili has turned Beijing’s Shuangjing subway station into a tribute to football’s greatest rivalry. The campaign cleverly links Metro Line 7 with Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic No. 7 shirt and Line 10 with Lionel Messi’s legendary No. 10, transforming the interchange into a symbolic meeting point for the two stars, and timed around what is widely expected to be their final World Cup.
It’s an emotional push they’ve rolled out at other intersections of Metro Lines 7 and 10 around China, the idea being to tap into two decades of football nostalgia to bond emotional appeal to their products.
MINISO 名创优品
MINISO has taken a very self-aware approach to World Cup marketing by turning frugality into a creative asset. Rather than hiring expensive football stars, the retailer filled posters and digital screens with player-shaped cut-outs, inviting fans to imagine their own heroes.
The campaign runs on the message that money saved on celebrity endorsements can be passed on to consumers. The idea is backed by a promotional giveaway, including collectible fan cards and a RMB 1 million cashback pool.
Ma Ning 马宁
The only Chinese official selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – in a year where China yet again fails to qualify – Ma has turned his growing profile into a series of brand partnerships with Lenovo (联想), Hisense (海信) and Mengniu (蒙牛) and billions of views on Chinese social platforms.
His strict, authoritative style and massive social media following have made him a rare sports personality outside the player ranks, giving brands a credible Chinese face on football’s biggest stage, and Chinese fans someone with boots on the pitch to root for.
