FIFA World Cup Lessons: From Host City to Home

The view from home – Aisha Keelson, Junior Strategist

Ahead of kick off, I was asked to look ahead to the FIFA World Cup and figure out what modern fandom was going to look like both at home and in the host cities. From understanding unique fan mindsets, through to discovering how football intersects with real-world culture, style, internet trends, local communities beyond the match stats, this was a chance to take a deeper dive into the rituals between casual fans to super fans and defining what that looked like.

One thing that really challenged my thinking was uncovering how the different football fandoms are expressed across the world. Experiencing the tournament from London while tracking how colleagues in the US engaged with it revealed a double-sided dynamic. Newer football markets are eagerly adopting traditional fandom rituals, the chants, the scarves, the supporter culture, to anchor themselves in the global game. Yet at the same time, the conversations, creators, and reactions around the exact same match were wildly distinct.

For example, Japan’s supporters tidying the stadiums after matches became a global talking point, but for the Japanese fans it was simply an expression of values deeply embedded in their culture. Elsewhere many fans were following a nation’s story long before kick-off using social media to immerse themselves in different cultures through their fashion, music, dance and the personalities behind each team. These cultural moments became an increasingly prominent part of the tournament conversation, adding another layer to how fans experienced the World Cup.

It reinforced that football might be global, but fandom is incredibly local and the global stage amplifies the stage they are on. The same goal can spark completely different reactions depending on the culture surrounding it.

Watching the tournament felt like a live test of our strategic thinking. Some of our hypotheses were validated, while others were challenged in ways we hadn’t anticipated. We expected the World Cup conversation to extend beyond the football itself, and that proved true as creators, fashion, music and national traditions became an increasingly visible part of fandom. What surprised us was how little these conversations converged into a single global narrative. Instead, local creators, traditions and cultural perspectives shaped how different audiences experienced the exact same tournament.

As we look ahead to the Euros and the Women's World Cup, the opportunity isn't just to identify emerging behaviours, but to understand which ones endure beyond the tournament, and which are unique to the moment. That distinction will shape how we build strategies that feel globally connected while remaining locally relevant.

My biggest learning is that strategy shouldn’t aim to predict the future perfectly; it should give you the right framework to understand culture as it unfolds. Going into the tournament, it was tempting to assume fandom was fixed. But watching emerging markets actively adopt traditional football rituals (the chants, the scarves, the matchday culture) while expressing them through completely different local creators and habits showed that fandom is never static. Working on this project taught me to embrace what lies in the uncertainty and treat strategy as an iterative compass rather than a rigid map. Moving forward to moments like the Euros or the Women’s World Cup, the value lies in continuously observing and refining our playbooks so we can bridge global football heritage with authentic local expression.

If there’s one thing this project reinforced, it’s that brands shouldn’t prepare for tournaments solely, they should prepare for the cultural behaviours surrounding them.
The next World Cup will bring new players, new storylines and new moments, but the biggest opportunity won’t come from reacting faster than everyone else. It will come from understanding the communities, identities and behaviours that already exist before the opening match.

Pitch-side for the action – Zoe Pollock, partnerships executive

I was lucky enough to find out in December 2025 that there could be a chance for me to work on-site at the FIFA World Cup 2026. It was one of those opportunities in life that you simply cannot turn down. I was already working on the Visa partnership account for the tournament, so I knew my role would involve supporting the European markets with campaign approvals and delivering Visa’s Backstage Experiences.

The first week was an incredible experience. I got to meet colleagues from around the world during a training weekend in San Francisco, before flying out to Toronto where I was based for a month. Meeting the operational teams on-site for the first time and seeing the stadium in person was surreal. It really brought home just how exciting it was to be part of something of this scale. Our team was quick to action with on-site operational meetings finalising all the finer details and guest flows of the Visa Backstage Experiences.

On a typical match day, we would arrive at the stadium around four hours ahead of kick-off to prepare. From kick-off minus three hours until kick-off plus 10 minutes we were in full force hosting Visa guests at the backstage experiences. These experiences are once in a lifetime opportunities and include unique access to otherwise off-limit areas. Each experience felt like a privilege to lead as the guest reactions were so positive, it was incredibly rewarding. I was then able to watch the matches. The atmosphere was electric, fans from all over the world cheering for their country, side by side.

There were so many highlights, but a couple stand out. Getting to watch players up close in what’s set to be their last World Cup was a standout moment of history that I feel fortunate to have witnessed. Another was seeing all the activations come to life across Toronto and seeing all the branding throughout the city.

The biggest learning was the importance of adaptability, being able to accommodate any changes on the ground swiftly. Collaboration across teams was just as essential. It kept everything running smoothly and made the guests' experiences unforgettable.

Looking back, I feel incredibly lucky to have experienced a sporting event on a truly global stage. The tournament showcased that football has a unique power to bring people together and being part of that was a privilege and an experience that I’ll remember forever.