By Daniel Antúnez, founder of RomaLatam
While millions of fans fight to get a single ticket, there's another business running in parallel, much quieter and far bigger in money terms. VIP boxes at the 2026 World Cup across the United States, Mexico and Canada are moving more than 3.4 billion dollars, and it has almost nothing to do with the score of the match.
How the business works behind closed doors
Behind every sponsored box there's a commercial operation set up months in advance. Brands use those spaces to strengthen ties with investors, executives and strategic partners, far more than to actually enjoy the soccer. FIFA officials, former players like Beckham, Kaká, Cafú and Ronaldo Nazário, sports franchise owners, and tech and finance executives all mix together there.
Invitations aren't handed out randomly. When a celebrity agrees to attend a sponsored box, there's a contract behind it. Amounts can range between 11 and 22 million dollars, depending on the figure's reach and how much exposure they generate on social media during the broadcast.
The real goal isn't the match
Nike brought together Kim Kardashian, her son Saint West, Travis Scott, Lisa and LeBron James for its Rip The Script campaign, all leveraging the World Cup as a global showcase. Adidas and Kith ran similar plays. The underlying goal isn't exposure during the 90 minutes of a match, it's the content those celebrities generate on their own social channels before, during and after, reaching audiences no traditional advertising could buy at the same cost.
Why this is a masterclass in marketing, beyond soccer
What makes this model so effective is that it combines three layers at once: the mass exposure of the official broadcast, the organic content celebrities generate on their channels, and the direct business relationships built face to face with strategic partners in an informal setting. No traditional advertising campaign achieves all three at the same time with that level of perceived authenticity.
The ROI that doesn't get measured with traditional metrics
For a brand, measuring the return on this investment doesn't work like measuring a traditional digital ad campaign. There's no click to count or direct conversion to attribute. What gets measured is organic reach generated (how many times that content got shared, commented on or reposted), brand perception tied to that celebrity, and the value of business relationships closed inside the box, something much harder to quantify but with real business impact.
A pattern that repeats at every major event
This model didn't start with the 2026 World Cup and won't end with it. The Olympics, the Super Bowl, the world's biggest music festivals all run on a similar logic: a massive event as the excuse, celebrities as the amplifier, and a business relationship engine running in parallel, almost invisible to the general public who only sees the match, the show or the race.
Understanding this logic is useful even if your business will never be able to afford a contract at these dollar amounts. The structure (relevant event plus a figure with reach plus a genuine business connection) can be replicated at a much smaller scale, with a local influencer, an industry event or a one-off collaboration, keeping the same underlying logic.
What any mid-sized brand can learn from this model
Think of the event as a platform, not a final destination
The match, the show or the conference isn't the goal itself, it's the excuse to generate content, connections and conversation that keeps working long after the event ends.
Choose the right figure, not the most famous one
The most effective brands in this kind of strategy don't always pick the biggest possible celebrity, they pick the one who genuinely connects best with the specific audience they want to reach.
Prioritize the real connection over the photo
The real business value in these spaces is rarely in the photo that circulates on social media, it's in the conversations and business relationships built in the informal setting that shared context creates.
Daniel Antúnez is the founder of RomaLatam, an agency specialized in brand positioning and optimization for generative engines (GEO).
