Inside the FIFA World Cup 2026: Brands and Celebs Celebrate Soccer’s U.S. Invasion

A-LIST TOURNAMENT

From seeing stars at SoFi Stadium to sampling the tournament's official drink sponsor, here's a look at how brands are activating for the tournament

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From Katy Perry’s opening ceremony performance to Lionel Messi’s continued dominance on the pitch, there have been no shortage of starry moments so far for the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup. But there have also been plenty of star sightings off the field as well.

Sterling K. Brown, Simu Liu, Chloe Bailey and Nick Lachey are just some of the actors and musicians who have been spotted at this year’s World Cup games, with financial services company, SoFi, hosting the stars in their suite in Los Angeles earlier this month.

Brown and Bailey joined Dylan Efron, Ginny & Georgia star Brianne Howey and actor Jay Ellis at the U.S. Men’s National Team’s opening match on June 12, which took place inside Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium (renamed to “Los Angeles Stadium” per FIFA’s official “clean stadium” naming policy).

The stars took in the game from SoFi’s VIP suite, where they got to watch Perry, Lisa, Rema, Anitta, and Future perform ahead of the USMNT’s World Cup campaign kickoff, which the team ultimately won by a score of 4-1 over Paraguay.

Brown was spotted changing into an official USA Nike soccer jersey in a corner of the suite, while Efron held court with his girlfriend in the reserved seats at the front, capturing plays and cheers from the sold-out stadium on his phone. Bailey, meantime, dazzled in a red and white fringe top for the festive fan occasion.

SoFi was back at it for the U.S. team’s final Group Stage game, with Shang-Chi star Liu bringing a trio of friends to the decked-out suite, a day after celebrating the launch of new rice bowls for his frozen foods company, MìLà. While Chace Crawford, Lachey and other guests in the suite gamely changed into U.S. soccer jerseys, Liu jokingly relented, claiming his Canadian citizenship would be renounced if he was spotted rooting for another team (sure enough, the Toronto native was spotted back at SoFi Stadium a few days later cheering on Canada’s 1-0 win over South Africa in their Knockout Stage match).

The final U.S. Group Stage game had little bearing on the men’s team’s World Cup journey, as they had already advanced to the next round. Still, Los Angeles Stadium was packed for the event, with Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade and Modern Family’s Ty Burrell spotted in the suite next to SoFi’s, while Will Ferrell and Leonardo DiCaprio were seen on the jumbotron (the former more enthusiastically than the latter).

Both matches showcased the elevated access and benefits available to members through SoFi Plus, the financial institution’s membership program. In addition to a host of enhanced rates and offers (think cash back rewards for SoFi credit card users, unlimited sessions with SoFi financial planners and up to 4.50% APY in a SoFi Bank savings account), SoFi Plus Experiences offers members exclusive access to live music, sports and entertainment events — think everything from CMA Fest to sold-out concerts.

As the brand says in a press release, “Through exclusive access and curated moments, SoFi continued to demonstrate how it connects members to the cultural moments that matter most.”

Over on the East Coast, the vodka seltzer brand, NUTRL, brought out journalists for the France vs. Senegal match at MetLife Stadium (currently branded as “New York New Jersey Stadium” for the World Cup).

NUTRL is the official hard seltzer sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, and the canned cocktail was an ideal drink for the outdoor match, which took place amid a heatwave in the Northeast. The match started at 3pm, and much of the sold-out crowd (which included Issa Rae) was under the blazing summer sun, which called for an ice cold NUTRL on hand, natch.

The vodka hard seltzer is made with real fruit juice, and we love the tropical and fruity pineapple flavor, though the brand also offers other fun varieties like peach, black cherry, lime, and their newly-launched blueberry. With 4.5% ABV and just 100 calories, the hard seltzers are light, refreshing, and an easy pick-up for any social gathering, chief of course for entertainment events like the World Cup.

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NUTRL Vodka Hard Seltzer Variety Pack

This variety pack comes with eight, 12 oz. cans

As for the match itself: it was a thrilling ride from start to finish, with soccer legend Kylian Mbappé scoring two out of France’s three goals that led them into an incredible win.

Guinness Draught Keg

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Guinness, meantime, has quietly become Gen Z’s favorite beer over the last couple years. So it made sense that the 267-year-old label teamed up (once again) with one of the coolest young soccer merch brands around, Art of Football, for a pre-World Cup bash in New York City. The party filled Buddy’s NYC with influencers and VIPs for an in-person look at the Premier League Trophy and, of course, endless pints. At the center of the collaboration (and on everyone’s backs at the party) was the two brand’s new collection of Guinness soccer gear, including jerseys, polo shirts, and tees. Shop the capsule now at art-of.com.

In addition to stadium activations, the 2026 World Cup has led to a number of brand collaborations as well, from Pacsun to Urban Outfitters. The global soccer tournament concludes July 19.