In case you hadn’t noticed, the World Cup is here. Which means three things are now inevitable: people who haven’t watched football in four years will suddenly have opinions about inverted full-backs, pubs will become temporary embassies, and brands will start behaving as though selling trainers, lager and fizzy drinks is basically the same as winning a penalty shootout. Which, in a way, it is. Football advertising is one of the great theatres of commercial creativity. Heroes, villains, national identity, slow-motion mud, and men in expensive boots pretending they’ve spontaneously started juggling a ball in an airport. At 42courses, we love advertising because it shows you how people really behave. Not how they claim to behave in research groups while eating complimentary biscuits. We buy the shoes because Ronaldinho once hit a crossbar four times in a row and our brain quietly whispered, “Could be you.” It could not be us. But that’s advertising. So, in honour of the beautiful game, here are our top 10 football ads of all time (plus 3 bonus ones we couldn’t bear to cut). 1. Nike - Airport ’98 Nike, by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Campaign: Nike Football / Airport 2. Nike - Write the Future Nike, by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Campaign: Write the Future 3. Adidas - José +10 adidas, by 180 Amsterdam Campaign: +10 / Impossible Is Nothing 4. Nike - Secret Tournament / The Cage Nike, by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Campaign: Secret Tournament / Scorpion K.O. 5. Adidas - Backyard Legends Adidas Campaign: World Cup 2026 6. Orange - La Compil des Bleues Orange, by Marcel Paris Campaign: Women’s World Cup 2023 7. Carlsberg - Old Lions Carlsberg, by Saatchi & Saatchi Campaign: Old Lions / World According to Carlsberg 8. John Smith’s - Ball Skills / “’Ave it!” John Smith’s, by TBWA\London Campaign: No Nonsense / Ball Skills 9. Pepsi - Sumo Pepsi, by CLM BBDO Paris Campaign: Sumo / World Cup 2002 10. Nike - Take It to the Next Level Nike Football, by 72andSunny Los Angeles Campaign: Next Level / Take It to the Next Level Bonus Ad 1: Nike - Joga Bonito Nike, by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Campaign: Joga Bonito BONUS AD 2: Nike - Rip the Script Nike Campaign: World Cup 2026 BONUS Ad 3: Nike - Good vs Evil Nike, by Wieden+Kennedy So what do these ads teach us? Apart from the fact that Nike had an absolutely unreasonable run of dominance, this: the best football ads don’t sell boots, beer or fizzy drinks. They sell tiny human fantasies. That an airport delay could become a kickabout with Brazil. That one touch could make you immortal. That shouting “‘Ave it!” is a legitimate creative strategy. (Which, frankly, it is.) Great advertising finds a feeling people already have and gives it a costume, a soundtrack, a line, a hero, a villain or a frog. Football makes this easy because fans do half the work: they already believe in fate, curses, lucky shirts and the healing power of a last-minute equaliser. Advertising simply turns up with a camera crew and says, “Excellent. We can use this.” Want to make advertising this good? Of course you do. It vastly beats politely nodding while someone asks you to “make something viral.” Our Advertising Masters won’t teach you the scorpion kick, but it will teach you how to build cultural phenomena, and how to convince a rational finance director to pay for them.