Turo Brings Italy's Dream Team to 11 World Cup Host Cities

Italy failed to secure a 2026 World Cup spot, but its most famous exports are still heading to the tournament.

"Turo Takes Italy to the Game" places 11 iconic Italian vehicles across 11 World Cup host cities.

The car-sharing marketplace is giving fans a chance to rent everything from vintage Ferraris to Lamborghinis for $23 per day before taxes and fees.

The promotion also taps into Father's Day travel plans, positioning driving Italy's most coveted cars as a memorable gift for dads.

The effort begins in Seattle, where a fleet of Italian sports cars arrived by barge along Elliott Bay in a tribute to Italy's automotive heritage.

Created as an extension of Turo's "Before the Game" platform from global agency Wieden+Kennedy.

The activation connects soccer fandom with road-trip culture at a time when millions of visitors are expected to travel between tournament cities.

"Major sporting events give brands a chance to be part of cultural conversations that go well beyond the game," Turo CMO David Corns told DesignRush.

"Turo Takes Italy to the Game is our way of celebrating both legacies and reminding fans that how you get to the game matters, and you should rent a car worthy of the trip."

The promotion ran from June 19 to 22, with one vehicle available in each city on a first-come, first-served basis.

The campaign carries Turo's wider brand message, that the car itself is part of the experience people are paying for during their trips.

Luxury Italian Cars Arrive in Host Cities

The campaign unveils "Italy's Starting XI," a collection of 11 Italian cars spread across U.S. and Canadian host cities, including Seattle, Toronto, L.A., and Miami.

The Seattle spectacle gave the campaign a visual centerpiece.

A flotilla of Italian sports cars crossed Elliott Bay, linking the country's automotive reputation with its long soccer legacy, which includes four World Cup titles.

And with Father's Day falling during the rental window, Turo is giving dads a weekend behind the wheel of cars that they've always admired.

The company built its model on access to distinctive vehicles that match a specific trip, so a dream car for a World Cup weekend fits the brand exactly.

Pairing two passions with two global celebrations is how Turo turns a niche rental into brand awareness among people who would never think to book one.

A $1.7 Trillion Sports Travel Market

Father's Day and sports travel are opening a window for brands that can package a car as the gift itself.

Consumers planned to spend a record $27.9 billion on Father's Day in 2026, with special outings among the top categories, per the National Retail Federation.

Nearly one-third say they plan to gift an experience, the exact buyer Turo is reaching with a dream-car weekend.

Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum projects the global sports tourism market to hit $1.7 trillion by 2032.

A World Cup car rental is at the center of both trends, which is why the timing of this campaign works in Turo's favor.

Sports tourism, experiential gifting, and destination travel are converging into one audience that brands can reach by making the journey part of the attraction.

• Experiences create emotional value. Brands should tie activations to different occasions to make participation more personal.
• Scarcity increases perceived value. Marketers should use limited access to premium experiences to encourage faster participation.
• Familiar symbols create clarity. Teams should use recognizable cultural icons to communicate ideas quickly.

Brands that build a shareable hook into the experiential marketing get their customers posting, tagging, and recommending the service on their own.

Our Take: Can Turo Out-Market Hertz Without the Fleet?

A car rental brand with no airport counters may have just grabbed the loudest rental moment of the World Cup.

We'd argue Turo won its category outright. Hertz, Enterprise, and Avis ran no World Cup campaign, while Turo parked 11 dream cars in the cultural conversation.

The two brands barely compete for the same renter anyway.

Hertz owns the airport and the business traveler, while Turo built its name on specialty cars from local hosts.

This gap is the whole point, because a legacy fleet has no vintage Ferrari to float across Elliott Bay and no reason to do it.

Turo used cars it doesn't even own to manufacture attention it never had to buy, which is brand positioning working exactly as designed.

Pick a cultural lane the category leader ignores, and a small marketing budget can outrun a giant one.

Turo joins a run of brands turning Father's Day into a shared experience.

Miller Lite recently built its Father's Day "Fix-Pack" campaign around quality time, offering intentionally broken gifts for dads and their kids to repair together.

Looking to create experiential campaigns that consumers want to share and remember?

Explore these top experiential marketing agencies that specialize in brand activations, fan engagement, and live experiences.