The Top 10 Brands by U.S. World Cup Ad Impressions

Over 75% of U.S. households tuned into at least one match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, creating an enormous stage for advertisers. According to data and technology company Samba, which tracked more than 6,000 brands that ran ads during the tournament, only 267 managed to reach at least 1 million unique households.

The top 10 brands by total U.S. TV ad impressions were:

  • Google — 185.7 million
  • Michelob Ultra — 166.7 million
  • Verizon — 162.0 million
  • Bank of America — 148.1 million
  • Modelo — 144.4 million
  • The Home Depot — 142.9 million
  • Volkswagen — 134.0 million
  • Kalshi — 127.5 million
  • Adidas — 124.0 million
  • American Express — 119.5 million

Food and beverage was the most-advertised category overall. Beer brands performed especially well on Spanish-language broadcasts, with Michelob Ultra and Modelo both appearing in the top five for English and Spanish content. Home Depot, Universal Pictures (for Despicable Me) and Verizon also showed strength in Spanish-language viewership. Notably, Google’s YouTube TV ad featuring Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Jason Kelce and Kylie Kelce ranked sixth in EDO’s TV outcomes for its “Don’t Settle for Meh” campaign.

What the Impression Data Says About Modern Sport Sponsorship

Google’s non-sponsor strategy pays off

Google is not an official FIFA sponsor, yet it captured more impressions than any other brand. The company leaned on alternative partnerships—including becoming the official partner of both the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams—to gain visibility during the tournament. Its impressions came largely from search ads, but also included promotion for the Pixel 10 and Gemini AI tools. The strong performance of its YouTube TV campaign suggests that creative, celebrity-driven spots can amplify reach even without a direct World Cup sponsorship.

Food and beverage brands ride cultural relevance

Beer, in particular, slots naturally into the World Cup viewing experience. Michelob Ultra’s second-place finish and Modelo’s fifth-place ranking highlight how culturally embedded brands can generate outsized impression counts simply by being present during high-engagement matches. The dual-language success of these brands—especially on Spanish-language content—points to the growing importance of bilingual campaigns for global sporting events with diverse U.S. audiences.

Cutting through a crowded field

With over 6,000 advertisers vying for attention, only a small fraction broke the 1-million-household threshold. The top 10 are all household names, suggesting that the World Cup’s broad but fragmented audience rewards brands with existing consumer recognition. For newer or smaller advertisers, achieving meaningful reach would require exceptionally targeted creative and precise media placement, not just a big ad buy.

How Marketers Can Apply the World Cup Advertising Lessons

  • Explore partnership alternatives to official sponsorship. Google’s U.S. Soccer deal proves that team-level agreements can yield top-10 impression counts without the cost or complexity of a FIFA partnership. Brands in adjacent categories should evaluate national-team or player-level deals as a more accessible on-ramp to World Cup advertising.
  • Invest in Spanish-language creative. Modelo, Home Depot, and others performed well on Spanish broadcasts, indicating that a bilingual campaign strategy can significantly widen reach. If your product has cross-cultural appeal, producing original Spanish-language ads—not just dubbing English spots—may help capture a share of the tournament’s engaged Hispanic audience.