World Cup Advertising: Get the Most out of Your Budget

The FIFA World Cup is a cultural phenomenon with the power to captivate, motivate, and unite. For one month, the entire world stops to watch 32 nations on their quest to be crowned champions. The best part? Your brand has a unique opportunity to get in on the action with TEGNA stations.

The FIFA Audience 

According to FOX Sports, for the 2022 QATAR  games, each of the 64 matches averaged 3,588,000 viewers, up 30% from the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Additionally, the tournament totaled 2.75 billion streaming minutes across FOX Sports digital streaming, earning the title of the most-streamed World Cup tournament in FOX Sports history.

When broken down into smaller groups, data from ComScore shows this audience of men and women is rich in diversity, spans several age groups, and, on average, has a household income of at least $125K.  

With such an enticing opportunity to reach a broad audience just around the corner, here’s how your brand can join Team TEGNA and Team USA in their pursuit of the World Cup!​ 

When Is The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023?

Starting on July 20, 32 teams will take part in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. To learn more about the event and match schedules, visit FIFA. 

When Is The FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026?

Mark your calendars for 2026! The FIFA Men’s World Cup will be hosted in Mexico, Canada, and the US throughout June and July. To learn more and stay updated on the latest announcements, visit FIFA.

How to Advertise for the World Cup

When advertising for The World Cup, consider the following steps:

• Book Television Spots in Advance: Getting the right time slot can be competitive since FIFA fans are a desirable audience for many brands. Consider booking television slots in advance, so you can be sure you get the slots you want.
• Create a Media Plan: While television advertising is a huge component of FIFA advertising, there are other opportunities to connect with fans across a wide variety of touchpoints. When constructing your media plan, be sure to include digital, television, and OTT where applicable. In relation to TV advertising,  it is also important to consider the flight schedule of your ads and how many ads you’d like to air. Constructing this plan before the games begin will help ensure you’re ready.
• Focus on the Creative: Brands are putting their best foot forward, so it’s important to ensure you have good creative that will set you apart from the competition. To do this, gain insight into your target audience to determine what resonates with them. These findings can be applied to your television ads to create more memorable commercials.

Key Insights for World Cup Advertising

Local Broadcast Remains the Favorite 

Sports content is still a key driver of engagement with linear TV. Since most sports content is available on broadcast and linear TV, sponsors and advertisers are still heavily investing. With sports accounting for 98% of the top 50 most-viewed programs on broadcast,  linear TV ads within live games remain one of the most popular and effective ways to reach passionate sports fans.  

On the local level, TEGNA’s sports journalists have long-standing reputations in the community built on trust, consistency, and value. When your brand teams up with TEGNA, you’re able to reach people who are community-minded in a brand-safe environment that provides a halo of exposure from a trusted news source. 

Take a look at this example from 2018 World Cup coverage from 12 News in Phoenix:  

Digital Viewership Expected to Grow 

Sports fans are changing the way they watch games. Even though enthusiasts are generally paying attention to what they’re watching, with so many connected devices, their attention tends to get split during the games.​ According to stats from Nielsen, 51% of people watching sports are also checking live stats, and 32% are simultaneously on social media apps.  

With that in mind, brands that combine their linear strategy with digital have an even greater opportunity to reach their target audience. For example, by knowing which days Team USA plays and placing ads on TEGNA websites, brands can benefit from the TEGNA site’s spike in web traffic due to people checking scores and searching for updates.  

With a digital strategy including banner ads and pre-roll, your brand can reach more consumers in more places than ever before through Audience Targeting, Geofencing, Retargeting, and Conversion Tracking.​ This strategy can also help boost brand awareness and strengthen ad recall, generate repeat traffic, and send qualified leads to your website.​ 

How to Win Big by Aligning with TEGNA’s FIFA World Cup Coverage

With 64 stations in 51 markets and award-winning sports journalists, we offer wide opportunities to connect with FIFA fans across a wide range of platforms. With TEGNA, you can reap the following benefits:

• Trust: Brands benefit from the news-trust halo, a term originally coined by the IAB. About 8 out of 10 viewers think that brands build or maintain trust with consumers when advertising with the news.
• Live Audience: News and sports games are more likely to have a live audience. As a result, viewers won’t fast forward through commercials, giving you a better chance at connecting with customers.
  
• Cross-Channel Campaigns: TEGNA offers both digital and TV advertising, so you don’t have to choose. Contextual ads allow us to also target users without using cookies in a brand-safe environment. 

Sound Good? Start Your FIFA Advertising Strategy With TEGNA Today

The power of the FIFA World Cup presents a unique opportunity for brands to connect with passionate football fans across the country. TEGNA is ready to help your brand score goals, no matter what business you’re in. Contact us today to get your marketing playbook drafted.