What if soccer players become the next faces of beauty? The ambassadors of the future could be sportsmen
At a time when attention is fragmented by a continuous flow of content, the World Cup remains one of the rare events capable of truly bringing people together. For six weeks, most nations put aside their differences to tune in and share a single experience: a force of cultural attraction with which very few other events can compete. And that's precisely why all brands want to be part of it.
World Cup 2026:278 million dollars in Earned Media Value (EMV) for companies
With a number of competing teams never seen before, the introduction of cooling breaks and an unprecedented halftime show, brands had more points of contact than any previous edition to leave their mark. Result? Lefty's data recorded 278 million dollars in Earned Media Value (EMV), generated by the 72 brands monitored across sectors such as tech, sportswear, food & beverage, beauty and more. While on the one hand many brands have competed for the most established champions to gain visibility, on the other hand, new figures have also emerged: from the infectious personality of Erling Haaland to the warmth of Jude Bellingham, to the story of the redemption of the Cape Verde goalkeeper, Vozinha, who remained unsurpassed against the Argentine giant.
Beauty and Wellness at the World Championships: Gillette and L'Oréal lead a growing sector
Brands in the Beauty and Wellness sector generated a lower share than the others, equal to 10.6 million dollars in EMV. The category was mainly led by Gillette and L'Oréal Men Expert, even if these were activations on individual markets (Brazil and the United Kingdom) and not global campaigns.
The boom in male personal care: the winning partnership between Onside and Jude Bellingham
That said, as male cosmetics and self-care overcome the old stigmas, male consumers show a greater propensity than women to increase their spending in this sector, as highlighted by the Wellness report by Karla Otto. In this way, new spaces are opening up for emerging brands ready to revolutionize the traditional advertising models of the sector. This is the case of Onside, a new brand supported by NBA star Jayson Tatum, which positions itself less on the classic concept of grooming and more on that of male personal care. Through a partnership with Jude Bellingham signed on the occasion of the World Cup, the brand generated 1.9 million dollars in EMV.
The new masculinity of sport: the cultural turning point for brand communication
Younger players like Bellingham and Haaland are known for their rejection of traditional norms of masculinity, openly rejecting the stereotype of the male athlete. For brands, bonding with figures of this type represents a gateway to a territory that is still relatively uncrowded, just at a time when the attitude of the male audience is visibly changing.