• by Todd Wasserman , October 10, 2022

The FIFA World Cup is scheduled to begin Nov. 20 and run until Dec. 18 in Qatar. While some ads have rolled out supporting the event, most brands are still revving up their marketing right now.

As we stand a month or so before the event starts, it’s worth taking a look at some facts about the 2022 World Cup.

It’s the first World Cup to be held in November. Every other World Cup held since 1930 has taken place in May, June or July. The scheduling change was made because of Qatar’s intense summer heat. In July, the average temperature in Qatar’s capital, Doha, are around 106 degrees Fahrenheit and often exceed 112 degrees. By contrast, in November, daily high temperatures are between 79 and 89 degrees.

It’s the first World Cup to be held in the Arab World.  Qatar clinched the rights in 2010, beating bids from the U.S.A., South Korea, Japan and Australia.

Some countries are protesting. Denmark’s athletes will travel to Qatar without their families. "We don't want to contribute to creating profit for Qatar," DBU communications manager Jakob Hoyer told newspaper Ekstra Bladet. Some French cities have opted to ditch World Cup festivals because of Qatar’s record on human rights and the environment.

A few World Cup ads have already hit. So far, just a few ads have been released supporting the event, among them Coca-Cola, Budweiser and Puma.

Coca-Cola released an ad in August that featured a young woman walking down the street and daydreaming about her team winning the tournament. The ad, via WPP, didn’t feature any dialogue, so could be customized for each market.

Budweiser, meanwhile, dropped an ad in September via VaynerMedia that featured rapper Lil Baby.

Puma also dropped an ad via LAFOURMI, themed “Fearless," that features Neymar Jr., Antoine Griezmann and Memphis Depay, among other players.

Among World Cup sponsors that haven’t released ads yet are McDonald’s,  Crypto.com and Hisense.