Every four years, the football World Cup turns into a massive battleground for the world's biggest brands. It is a time when sportswear giants spend billions of pounds to grab the attention of fans across the globe. These commercials are no longer just simple adverts. They have become big-budget films featuring some of the most famous players and celebrities on the planet. For the 2026 tournament, the competition between Nike and Adidas has reached a new peak, with both companies releasing epic films to win over the public.

Nike turns Hollywood into a football pitch

Nike has launched a six-minute film called Rip the Script, which moves away from traditional stadium settings. Instead, the action takes place inside a busy Hollywood movie studio. The advert features modern superstars such as Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland. In the story, these players decide to ignore a frustrated movie director and play the game their own way, using their natural instincts instead of a written plan.

The film is packed with famous faces from outside the world of football, including Kim Kardashian, LeBron James and Travis Scott. By including these stars, Nike is trying to show that football is now a major part of fashion, music and popular culture. The company has even included retired legends such as Ronaldinho and Zlatan Ibrahimović to show that the "Nike Football Universe" covers the past, present and future of the sport.

Adidas returns to the streets

While Nike went for a movie studio, Adidas spent an estimated £50 million on an advert called Backyard Legends. The film stars Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet, who tries to build a dream team to beat a legendary local crew that has not lost a match in 30 years. Chalamet recruits stars such as Jude Bellingham, Lamine Yamal and Trinity Rodman for the street football challenge.

The Adidas advert focuses on the nostalgia of playing football for fun in local neighbourhoods. It features cameos from Lionel Messi and David Beckham, but the setting is the cracked concrete of a city pitch rather than a professional stadium. The message from Adidas is that the game belongs to anyone who plays freely, whether they are a professional or simply playing in their own backyard.

The battle for World Cup dominance

There is a clever tactical game being played between the two giants. Adidas is the official partner of the World Cup, meaning it provides the match balls and kits for 14 of the competing teams. However, Nike's massive Rip the Script campaign is designed to be so loud and star-studded that people might mistake it for the tournament's official sponsor.

Nike is not stopping at a video. It is opening physical "football labs" and special retail spaces in cities such as New York and Los Angeles to immerse fans in its brand. While Nike is looking outward to global celebrity culture, Adidas is trying to win hearts by looking inward to personal memories and the pure joy of the sport.

Both brands have used advanced technology to make their films stand out. Adidas used high-tech visual effects to show different versions of David Beckham's famous haircuts from the past. Meanwhile, Nike created a fast-moving, chaotic world where the boundaries between reality and films disappear. For fans, these adverts provide a thrilling preview of the star power set to take centre stage at the World Cup this summer.