System1: The Best Performing Adverts of the 2026 World Cup

The World Cup season is drawing to a close with just four teams remaining and The World Data has approximated 6 billion people have tuned in to watch at least one match throughout the tournament – providing companies with an opportunity to reach mass audiences to market products and services through commercial breaks and sponsorships throughout the games.

After System1 tested more than 150 ads being among 31,500 consumers, the Creative Effectiveness Platform compiled a list of the 11 top-performing ads of this year’s World Cup. 

Using their Test Your Ad platform, they measured emotional responses consumers showed to different advertisements, using this feedback to assign a score from 1.0 to 5.9 Stars depending on the long-term brand-building potential. Advertising that generates strong positive emotions, such as happiness and surprise, are more likely to achieve higher scores. 

Companies on the list included brands such as McDonald’s Brazil (11th place), EE UK (10th place) and BBC UK (ninth place).

Third place – Volkswagen (Brazil)

In third place on System1’s list is ‘O Sonho’ (The Dream) created by Volkswagen Brazil. The advert follows the perspectives of several individuals celebrating the nation winning its sixth World Cup title: families coming together, people driving and accompanied with the live commentary and parties in the street. 

Volkswagen vehicles play a part in the story, seeing the cars be a constant feature as audiences are taken through the generations who have celebrated the victory over the years, sealing Volkswagen’s emotional connection to Brazillian’s hopes and trust in their team with the tagline ‘we dream because we believe’.

Director of Marketing Communications for Volkswagen Brazil Livia Kinoshita says that this campaign reflects the power of trust, adding: “Football is a national passion for Brazilians, and it becomes the setting for a story in which Volkswagen steps up to be a part of people’s lives and emotions in the shared dream of a sixth title.” The advert managed to achieve a 5.2 star rating on the platform.

Second place – Mercado Libre (Brazil)

'O Sonho Continua Vivo' (The Dream Continues to Live) is another Brazilian advert by Mercado Libre, an online marketplace based in Latin America, which received a 5.3 star rating and in turn a second place position on System1’s list. In this advert, audiences experience how it would feel if Brazil were sixth time world champions through the eyes of an individual, following his day as Brazil celebrates their country being the home of football.

When shifted back into reality and realising the victory was purely imaginative, people gather around with the same belief that Brazil will bring the World Cup title home, stating Brazil will always be the home of football. 

The campaign comes after Mercado Libre were announced as the Official Supplier LATAM of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Chief Marketing Officer Sean Summers saying: “We have been building a genuine relationship with sport for years, but this agreement with FIFA goes further and represents a historic milestone on that path.”

First place – Irn-Bru (Scotland)

Receiving the top score of 5.9 stars, it is no surprise as to why Irn-Bru has been named System1’s top advert seen during this World Cup. 

‘The Tartan Army’ music video style campaign celebrates Irn-Bru’s Scottish heritage with a humorous “Made in Scotland from Girders” and features Scottish icons with the likes of Susan Boyle, John McGinn and Paul Black. 

The campaign follows fans battling airport security, sleepless nights and children watching in dismay as parents sell their pets to afford the sky-high ticket prices. 

Real fans also had the opportunity to feature in this advert with Scottish entrants asked to perform their favourite karaoke songs and the standout performers chosen to star in the film alongside the celebrity cast, bringing authenticity to the brand and reflecting the mood of the wider nation.