Powerade's FIFA World Cup 26 Campaign Stars Lamine Yamal, Rodrygo Goes

Powerade is the official sports drink of FIFA World Cup 26, and it is using that position to launch its biggest global campaign to date.

"Power Your Fate" was created by WPP Open X, led by AKQA and supported by EssenceMediacom, Ogilvy, VML, and talent agency partner 22Ventures.

It stars Lamine Yamal of Spain and Rodrygo Goes of Brazil as its main ambassadors.

The campaign runs across social, digital, OOH, TV, and online video, with in-stadium branding, fan activations, and limited-edition product launches tied to the tournament.

It follows the brand's previous "Pause is Power" platform, which Yamal and Goes also joined in 2025.

For Powerade, the tournament is the opening activation of a four-year sponsorship cycle that will run through the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 and the LA 2028 Olympics.

The Campaign and the Creative

The hero film covers athletes from Spain, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, and the U.S.

It presents their efforts as cultural works of art including murals, mosaics, and sculptures drawn from each country's visual traditions.

A voiceover poem runs across the film, opening with the lines: "While the world sleeps, the legends rise. To meet their fate, with open eyes."

Manolo Arroyo, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at parent company The Coca-Cola Company, described the thinking behind the platform.

"At Powerade, we believe that owning your power is about choosing to be ready when it matters most," he said.

"'Power Your Fate' for FIFA World Cup 26 is built on the belief that destiny is shaped by preparation, discipline, and focus."

Yamal and Goes front the campaign as its main talent, and will post dedicated social content giving fans a view into their preparation routines ahead of the tournament.

Yamal addressed his involvement in the campaign press materials:

"It is my dream to play in a FIFA World Cup, and I will do what I always do, play with joy and give everything I have," he said.

"Powerade helps me perform at my best and be ready when it counts the most."

Devon Rodriguez and the Squeeze Bottle Series

Devon Rodriguez, a street portrait artist known for painting candid subjects on New York's subway, is partnering with Powerade to paint portraits of Yamal and Goes directly onto Squeeze Bottles.

A social film will document Rodriguez's process as he works on Yamal's portrait.

Limited-edition squeeze bottles signed by both athletes will also be available through select promotions.

These will be handed out alongside Powerade's Field of Play presence at the tournament, which includes branded coolers and hydration stations.

FIFA is projecting around six billion people will engage with the tournament in some form, which would make it the most-watched sporting event in history.

For brands like Powerade with official tournament status, that audience reach is the core commercial argument for the investment.

The Powerade campaign shows how sports drink brands are using major tournaments as platforms for longer-term brand building:

• Tie product to preparation: Centering the campaign on pre-competition ritual helps it run through the entire tournament cycle.
• Use artist collaborations to reach audiences outside sport: Rodriguez's fanbase extends outside of football, giving the campaign a cultural entry point.
• Build social content from the start: Behind-the-scenes content from Yamal and Goes running alongside the hero film also extends its reach.

With FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 and the LA 2028 Olympics on the horizon, this campaign also opens a four-year platform for Powerade across global sport.

Our Take: Does 'Power Your Fate' Work as a Campaign Platform?

We think it does, and adding Rodriguez' art allows the campaign to resonate with people outside of sports audiences.

Signing Yamal and Goes makes sense.

Both are among the most-watched players in world football and are extremely popular with younger audiences.

Painting an athlete's portrait on the product itself, then documenting the process on social, creates a content loop that earns attention on its own terms.

This is a robust creative strategy heading into a four-year tournament cycle, and will help Powerade stay in the conversation between matches.

Valvoline also signed on as an official FIFA World Cup 26 partner, with a campaign built around the tournament's host cities and automotive culture across North America.

Brands planning major sports sponsorship campaigns need agencies that understand how to build creative platforms that hold up across multiple tournaments and media environments.

Explore the top sports marketing agencies in our directory.