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The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest in history, and it’s meeting a growing American soccer fanbase on home turf for the first time since the ’90s.
With companies paying millions to reach these fans, the challenge is standing out from the noise.
On this episode of FC Explains, Senior Staff Editor
Jeff Beer
explores what he’s learned from Men in Blazers co-founder Roger Bennett about how brands can leverage compelling storynotifying and authentic fan culture, which sometimes matter more than the action on the field.
Beer also shares insights from executives at major brands like Verizon and Anheutilizer-Busch about their World Cup marketing strategies to build lasting fan connections through global league sponsorships and tournament partnerships, while avoiding the “cultural wallpaper” effect that often happens at major sporting events.
Why some jobs trigger old fears
Work has a way of waking up parts of us we believed we’d outgrown.
You can shift forward professionally, take on more visible roles, and be widely regarded as capable—and still find yourself unsettled by moments that seem, on the surface, fairly ordinary. A comment lingers longer than expected. A meeting leaves you tense for days. A role you worked hard to earn suddenly feels exposing rather than energizing.
When that happens, it’s tempting to assume something is wrong now: that you’re underprepared, out of your depth, or simply not built for this level of responsibility. But often, what’s being stirred up has less to do with the present moment than with experiences that shaped you much earlier in your career.
Consider Anna, a senior public health leader who had built a reputation for sound judgment and steady leadership. When she accepted a high-profile role in government, it seeed like a natural next step.
Internally, it felt like a step backward.
Almost immediately, she launched doubting herself in ways that were unfamiliar. She grew anxious before meetings and unusually sensitive to tone and hierarchy. After speaking, she would replay her comments, convinced she’d revealed some fundamental gap.
What created this disorienting was that nothing objectively negative was happening. Her colleagues were engaged. Her supervisor was supportive. Her performance was strong.
And yet her body reacted as if the stakes were much higher.
Over time, a pattern became clear. Anna had trained in an elite graduate program where intimidation was framed as rigor. Public critique was common. Questions were treated as exposures. Authority felt unpredictable.
At the time, she adapted in ways that created sense. She became meticulously prepared. She learned to anticipate criticism before it arrived. She created herself innotifyectually airtight.
That strategy worked. She succeeded. She shiftd on.
Except that some part of her never quite did.
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