Pepsi has launched a new global football campaign featuring Sir David Beckham, Mohamed Salah, Vini Jr., Lauren James, Alexia Putellas and Florian Wirtz, as the brand seeks to celebrate fan culture beyond the game itself.
The campaign, titled Pepsi Football Nation, is positioned as a multi-year global platform designed to bring football culture into everyday life and spotlight the rituals, rivalries and traditions that shape the sport worldwide.
At the centre of the rollout is a new brand film that opens with Beckham handing the playbook to fans and inviting them to define the “rules” of the Pepsi Football Nation.
The film takes viewers through a series of energetic fan-inspired scenes, including Florian Wirtz precision parking under VAR scrutiny, Lauren James teaching a lecture on beating the offside trap, and fictional movie moments featuring Vini Jr., Putellas and Salah.
It also introduces humorous fan-made rules such as “Superstitions are Sacred,” “Who is the King of Skill?” “You Must Wear Your Winning Jersey to Work,” and “Everything Gets Settled on the Pitch.”
As part of the activation, Pepsi said it will release a free browser extension supporting Rule #1: “It’s called Football, Not Soccer.” The tool will automatically replace references to “soccer” with “football” online.
The company is also partnering with Reddit to encourage fan discussions around their own rituals, traditions and unwritten rules of the sport.
Eugene Willemsen, Chief Executive Officer, International Beverages at PepsiCo, says: “Football has always gone beyond what happens on the pitch during the 90 minutes. It lives in conversations, rivalries, and traditions that bring fans together every day, across communities, markets and generations. Pepsi Football Nation celebrates that culture and the many ways fans experience the game beyond the match itself. For decades, Pepsi has been at the heart of the game; now, we’re honoring the shared experiences and ‘rules’ that unite fans worldwide.”
Pepsi said the full campaign film will run across its social media channels including X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube ahead of a summer packed with football action. The Creative agency behind the campaign: BigTime Creative Shop and Sauvage.TV.
