From June 14th till July 15th Russia hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 32 nations, including debutants Panama and Iceland, competed across 11 Russian cities for the World Cup. This massive event, which attracts millions of fans from around the world, is a unique opportunity for brands as it occurs only every 4 years. With each passing year, the methods of marketing during the tournament have become more and more aggressive.

With such a large number of people tuning in worldwide, the Football World Cup is the perfect platform for companies to get their name in front of billions of eyes. For example, Nike increased its marketing spend by 36% to $876 million ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

This year’s event came with a bagful of problems for sponsors. Russia’s geopolitical issues being the number one problem, along with FIFA itself having been blamed for corruption and bribery. Despite this, several brands still seek to make the most of this mammoth opportunity.

Especially for sports brands, for whom the World Cup is the biggest event in terms of endorsements, advertising and deals. These brands fight for on-screen time by sponsoring as many teams as they can. Not just teams, star players of the sport are the main faces for these companies.

Not just sportswear brands, fashion brands, too, are trying to make use of the popularity of the World Cup. Special collections, collaborations, and unique marketing campaigns are a part of the frenzy during this period.

This report looks at how the various brands have made use of the platform provided by the 2018 FIFA World Cup that took place in Russia.