Pepsi campaign spotlights fan culture in football

Pepsi Global has launched a campaign film featuring leading football players to highlight fan traditions and rituals beyond match time, as part of its broader Pepsi Football Nation platform.

The film brings together figures including David Beckham, Florian Wirtz, Lauren James, Vinícius Júnior, Alexia Putellas and Mohamed Salah, placing fan behaviour at the centre of the narrative.

Fan rituals take centre stage in campaign film

The campaign builds on the Pepsi Football Nation platform, a multi-year initiative focused on integrating football culture into everyday life. The film presents a series of scenarios shaped by fan debates, ranging from match discussions in social settings to fictional situations involving players.

Scenes include Florian Wirtz performing a precision parking manoeuvre reviewed by a referee, Lauren James delivering a lecture on tactics, and fictional film appearances featuring Vinícius Júnior, Alexia Putellas and Mohamed Salah. The narrative frames fans as decision-makers who define the “rules” of football culture.

Rules and rituals define the Pepsi Football Nation

Throughout the film, fans introduce a set of rules reflecting shared behaviours and beliefs. These include themes such as matchday superstitions, debates over skill, and everyday expressions of support like wearing team jerseys to work.

The campaign extends beyond the film through digital activations. Pepsi plans to release a browser extension that replaces the word soccer with football across online content, reinforcing fan-led language preferences.

Digital platforms expand fan participation

Fan engagement will also take place on Reddit, where the brand aims to encourage discussion around football traditions and community-defined rules. The initiative focuses on user-generated content and ongoing debate as part of the campaign ecosystem.

Eugene Willemsen, Chief Executive Officer, International Beverages at PepsiCo: "Football has always gone beyond what happens on the pitch during the 90 minutes. It lives in conversations, rivalries, and traditions that bring fans together every day, across communities, markets and generations. Pepsi Football Nation celebrates that culture and the many ways fans experience the game beyond the match itself. For decades, Pepsi has been at the heart of the game; now, we’re honoring the shared experiences and 'rules' that unite fans worldwide."

The campaign will run across Pepsi’s social media channels, including X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

www.pepsico.com

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