PepsiCo’s Lay’s brand brought
back its “No Lay’s, No Game” brand platform, kicking off a campaign for the 2026 World Cup with an ad featuring comedic actor Steve Carell alongside soccer superstars David Beckham,
Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi, and Alexia Putellas.
The spot launched ahead of the “FIFA World Cup Final Draw” that took place over the weekend, determining the groups different
teams will play in. The ad imagines a “Lay’s Watch Party Draw” determining who is hosting the group’s World Cup watch
party.
That spot is just the opener in Lay’s global campaign for the 2026 World Cup, for which the brand is a sponsor. The brand also launched a social campaign with content including an
ad featuring Messi randomly generating the star’s “favorite” Lay’s flavor. The campaign will promote a broader
Frito-Lay brand roster including Doritos, Cheetos, Tostitos, Ruffles and Cracker Jack, in addition to the flagship Lay’s potato chip brand. As World Cup kickoff draws nearer in the coming
months, the campaign will continue expanding with a series of activations and experiential events globally.
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Additionally, Lay’s will stage a World Cup-inspired program centered around
“Lay’s RePlay” soccer pitches. Launched in 2021, the global “Lay’s RePlay’ initiative “transforms used Lay’s chip bags into permanent, sustainable
football pitches” as a means of developing community spaces, widening access to soccer facilities. Since launching, the program has opened a dozen such pitches across 11 countries, as well as
providing “over 20,000 hours of football-based educational programming,” according to the brand.
Lay’s launched the “No Lay’s, No Game” brand platform back
in 2023, with a campaign starring Thierry Henry.
The 2026 World Cup campaign arrives on the heels of PepsiCo
“relaunching” the Lay’s and Tostitos brands this year, with an
emphasis on removing artificial flavors and ingredients. Tostitos rolled out a “Tradition Matters” campaign at the beginning of the NFL season
highlighting the change.