Aldi leads World Cup ad performance study

Aldi's Feast for Football campaign has been ranked as the highest-performing FIFA World Cup advertisement since 1994, according to research from creative effectiveness platform System1.

The study evaluated 31 World Cup campaigns from major brands, measuring their ability to generate positive emotional responses and long-term brand-building potential among contemporary audiences.

Aldi claims top position

System1's analysis placed Aldi's 2022 campaign at the top of the ranking with a score of 5.0 Stars, ahead of Pepsi's Sumo campaign from 2002, which achieved the same score.

The ranking was based on System1's Test Your Ad methodology, which assesses emotional responses to advertising and assigns a score between 1.0 and 5.9 Stars. Higher-scoring campaigns are considered more likely to support long-term brand growth.

The research found that humour was a common feature among the highest-performing campaigns, often delivered through surprise, exaggeration and unexpected situations.

Humour drives strongest results

Several of the top-ranked advertisements relied on playful storytelling and contrasts for comedic effect. Examples included Pepsi's Sumo, which featured sumo wrestlers playing football, and Nutmeg Royale, which imagined football stars appearing in local matches.

Adidas' Jose+10 campaign and Visa's Football Evolution also ranked highly, with both campaigns using imaginative scenarios to engage viewers.

The findings also highlighted the long-running rivalry between Adidas and Nike in football advertising. While Nike featured more frequently in the ranking, Adidas achieved the highest average performance score across its campaigns.

Adidas outperforms Nike overall

Of the 31 advertisements evaluated, six were produced by Adidas and seven by Nike. Adidas campaigns secured three positions within the top eight, including Jose+10, Footballitis and The House Match.

Nike's highest-ranked campaign was Airport, released in 1998, which placed ninth overall with a score of 3.9 Stars. The advertisement outperformed the brand's more recent World Cup campaign, RIP the Script.

According to System1, the results suggest that well-established creative platforms can remain effective for many years and may benefit from being revisited rather than replaced.

Proven ideas retain value

Andrew Tindall, Chief Growth Officer – Advertising at System1: "Creative consistency is one of the most powerful and underused tools in marketing. Five of these ads would have ranked alongside the top-performing World Cup ads of 2026, yet none are currently on air. Brands are sitting on a vault of proven creative gold.

"The winners are often the brands that build on what already works. Aldi's reimagining of Airport is a great example. Adidas' Backyard Legends also echoes many of the ingredients that made Jose+10 so effective years earlier.

"The lesson is simple: great creative ideas don't wear out. Nike may have said RIP the Script, but why have they said RIP to Airport? Some ideas are worth bringing back."

Top 10 World Cup advertisements

According to the study, the top 10 campaigns were:

Aldi (2022) – Feast for Football – 5.0 Stars
Pepsi (2002) – Sumo – 5.0 Stars
Pepsi (2006) – Dare for More – 4.6 Stars
Adidas (2006) – Jose+10 – 4.5 Stars
Mars (2010) – Singing for England – 4.5 Stars
Adidas (2002) – Footballitis – 4.1 Stars
Visa (2010) – Football Evolution – 4.1 Stars
Adidas (2014) – The House Match – 4.0 Stars
Nike (1998) – Airport – 3.9 Stars
Pepsi (2022) – Nutmeg Royale – 3.9 Stars

www.system1group.com

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