Hive’s 2026 FIFA World Cup Report reveals how brand exposure and media value were generated through sponsorships, social media, and TV advertising surrounding the tournament. Using Hive’s AI-powered Mensio platform, Hive measured exposure across live match broadcasts, including Spanish-language coverage, as well as shoulder programming, sports talk and news, social media, and paid TV advertising.

Key Findings:

The 2026 FIFA World Cup generated over $5B in brand value 

• Live broadcasts accounted for over 75% of all media value across broadcast sponsorships (live and shoulder programming), advertising, and social media.

• Equivalent media value earned by brands increased nearly 5x versus 2022, driven primarily by the expanded 48-team format (104 games vs. 64) and stronger U.S. viewership.

FIFA’s official partners emerged as the tournament’s biggest brand winners 

• FIFA Tier 1 partners, including Coca-Cola, Saudi Aramco, Visa, Qatar Airways, Lenovo, Hyundai, and Adidas, claimed the eight most valuable brand spots, each generating more than $300M in media value at the parent company level. 

• FIFA’s official partners earned the majority of sponsorship value, and their premium activations received further amplification across social media and sports talk/shoulder programming – led by fieldside lower-level banners, which outperformed all other on-site branding opportunities.

Commercials boosted share of voice for non-partner brands

• 72% of estimated paid TV spend throughout the tournament came from non-partner brands, reflecting their heavy investment in commercials.