SA Football Fans Inspired To Seize Greatness In New FIFA World Cup Campaign

Budweiser, an Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) brand and FIFA World Cup™ Sponsor, has debuted a global rallying-cry for fans: “The World is Yours to Take.” In partnership with international football icons Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., and Raheem Sterling, Budweiser will launch its FIFA World Cup campaign in South Africa and in more than 70 countries, the most in the brand’s 146-year history. 

The campaign is anchored by a cinematic film featuring the athletes and a diverse group of fans making their way through the player’s tunnel with conviction toward the FIFA World Cup pitch. The spot cleverly uses the tunnel as a metaphor to connect fans to the emotion and anticipation the players feel before the match, inspiring them to take the next step in their journey towards pursuing their dreams. The soundtrack of the campaign is a reimagining of the iconic Tears for Fears’ anthem “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” capturing the passion and enthusiasm fans will feel during this year’s tournament. 

“As sponsor of the FIFA World Cup for more than 30 years, we wanted to capture the infectious global energy of football fans everywhere to encourage people to find the conviction to go for greatness, no matter what the journey to get there might look like,” said Todd Allen, Global Vice President of Marketing, Budweiser. “Determination to overcome challenges in the name of achieving greatness, like we’ve seen countless times from Messi, Neymar Jr., and Sterling, is an inspiration to us and fans worldwide. We hope our new campaign reminds fans that the world is yours to take no matter what stands in your way.”

In this global campaign, Budweiser has also created new avenues for fans to experience the FIFA World Cup both on the ground and at home and, South African football fans can expect a special “Mzansi flavour” at fan fest zones around South Africa during the world cup.

“South Africa has a wonderfully rich, colourful football culture, which brings people together to watch games in a very special way. Although our national team is not in the running, South African fans will no doubt get behind the other African teams to support and cheer them on their journeys – hopefully to a win,” said Thomas Lawrence, FIFA World Cup Lead, Budweiser South Africa.

Other global activations include the chance to win match tickets by scanning QR codes found on limited-edition Budweiser bottles and cans, attending BUDX FIFA Fanfest watch parties around the world for the first time, on-site activations, and musical performances at the Budweiser Hotel in Doha as well as NFTs that commemorate the world’s biggest sporting event. 

To further celebrate the FIFA World Cup partnership, Budweiser will also bring some of Mzansi’s hottest talent in the music scene (stay tuned on who it will be) as part of Global Cast of 250 of the world’s most exciting Creators & Innovators to the BudX Doha experience, where they will unite in the name of creative expression and collaboration.

The Budverse x FIFA World Cup NFT Collection will be available to consumers of legal drinking age via two different token types at launch – the Budweiser Live Scoreboard and the Budweiser World Cup 360 Experience. To learn more about the Budverse x FIFA World Cup Collection, visit Budweiser.com/nft.

The campaign film was developed in partnership with creative agency Wieden+Kennedy and is an evolution of Budweiser’s new “Yours to Take” platform launched earlier this year. 

To view the new spot, visit Budweiser’s YouTube channel.