• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

There are years when the calendar just breaks your way. For Coca-Cola, 2026 is shaping up to be one of them.

The brand is rolling out the second wave of its FIFA World Cup campaign, “Uncanned Emotions," which takes viewers through the fear, hope and frenzy of championship football — all from the perspective of the soft drink. The spots lean into the live-game feeling, with renowned play-by-play announcer Peter Drury voicing the English version and Luis Omar Tapia the Spanish, giving the work an urgency that feels less like advertising and more like being there.

It's a natural extension for a brand that has been part of football's furniture for decades. Coca-Cola has had in-stadium advertising at the tournament since 1950 and has been an official partner since 1974 — making it one of FIFA's longest-running relationships. With the World Cup returning to North American soil for the first time in more than 30 years, the brand is pressing that advantage hard.

The FIFA push has been building all year. In January, Coke launched "Bubbling Up,” the campaign's first installment, featuring J Balvin, Amber Mark, Steve Vai and Travis Barker reimagining Van Halen's "Jump." Now comes the emotional escalation — and a sticker.

WPP OpenX, led by The Ogilvy Group, is Coke's agency.

Coke recently announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with Panini America, FIFA's exclusive sticker and trading card partner, embedding collectible stickers directly into Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar bottle labels. Fans peel them back, place them in the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Sticker Album, or scan them into the Panini digital app. The collection features 12 football stars from ten competing nations, including Americans Antonee Robinson and Weston McKennie, Argentina's Lautaro Martínez, and Mexico's Santiago Giménez. It's a 50-year-old ritual, updated for a new generation — which is exactly how Coke likes to play it.

And then there's the other big swing.

Just as the World Cup campaign hits its stride, Coke is also planting a flag on America's 250th birthday. "Drink In America," a 3-minute brand spot, anchors a yearlong celebration that reimagines the company's iconic "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" as a gospel anthem. For viewers of a certain age, it will feel like a nice “Hilltop” flashback. For younger fans, Coke hopes it will feel fresh — and inspiring.

Coke’s America250 effort goes well beyond a single spot. The company is releasing its first-ever collectible mini-cans with a unique design for all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. It's aiming to generate 250,000 volunteer hours in 2026, working with local bottlers and community partners on cause-marketing programs nationwide. And with "Paint the Nation," it's launching a public art initiative that will produce dozens of murals created in collaboration with local artists.