The global campaign, led by Unilever Personal Care, will see over 35 brands activate, such as Dove, Dove Men+Care, Rexona/Degree and Axe/Lynx, ensuring players, spectators and fans are ‘fresh for every stage’.
With creators at the heart of the activation, Unilever’s brands will collaborate with a diverse network of influencers and content creators across its largest markets – from active sports fans, players, and sportscasters, to fashion, lifestyle and beauty – to deliver immersive, social-first storytelling that helps fans feel fresh, confident and ready for every moment off the pitch.
This will be accompanied by House of Fresh™, a dedicated in-person creator hub across three host cities – Mexico City, New York, and Miami. The experiential space has been purpose built for social media feeds, designed to turn live participation into social selling and storytelling at scale.
Unilever has also built a new 24/7 social media hub, The Locker Room, to deliver real time responsive content across platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. A dedicated team of creator and community experts at Unilever as well as sports and football strategists will shape, respond and amplify cultural moments as they unfold.
With the tournament expected to reach a global audience of around 6 billion, the FIFA World Cup 2026™ creates an opportunity for brands to connect with fans at a global scale. Football brings people together and, during the tournament, Unilever’s Personal Care brands will combine the engagement, shareability and community driven nature of social with the emotional reach of TV. With large audiences tuning into the live events, Unilever’s social-first activity will help keep conversations going long after the match day moments.
Afke van de Klashorst, Vice President of Integrated Brand Experience, Unilever Personal Care said: “The FIFA World Cup 2026™ is one of the biggest cultural moments on the planet. Our ambition is for our brands to show up in spaces where fandom lives and in ways that are authentic, native to social, and meaningful by bringing freshness and confidence to matchday moments that matter most for fans, players and spectators. This activation reflects how we’re engaging with sport not just as sponsorship, but as a platform to build brand desire and cultural relevance to drive superior growth.”
Romy Gai, Chief Business Officer, FIFA said: “The FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be the most socially connected and inclusive tournament in our history. Football today lives in real time, in culture and on social platforms – and this tournament is designed to be experienced, shaped and shared by fans wherever they are. Working with partners like Unilever helps turn moments on the pitch into meaningful conversations off it, reaching new generations and making the power of football more accessible, inclusive and impactful than ever before.”
The activation builds on Unilever’s wider approach to cultural partnerships by showing up at the world’s biggest events and within the communities that care most about them. By pairing global reach with emotionally resonant storytelling, it is designed to drive growth while creating meaningful connections with fans.
