FIFA turns a couch into the centrepiece of its gaming strategy for World Cup 2026

Hamburg, Germany – FIFA is expanding its digital football ambitions through a creator-led campaign centred on a travelling couch, as it looks to deepen engagement with younger audiences ahead of and during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Developed with creative agency Jung von Matt SPORTS, the ‘FIFA Gaming Couch’ serves as the centrepiece of FIFA’s marketing strategy for its growing gaming portfolio. 

The initiative forms part of the organisation’s broader digital football strategy, which aims to connect football with gaming, entertainment, and creator culture beyond traditional tournament audiences.

Rather than relying on conventional sports marketing, FIFA transformed the campaign into a six-week road trip across the United States, with a branded delivery truck transporting the Gaming Couch from Los Angeles to New York City. 

The journey stopped in Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Dallas, Miami, and other locations, generating content with more than 70 creators and partners.

The campaign has amassed over 60 million views across FIFA-owned and partner channels to date.

Along the route, the campaign featured appearances from skateboard icon Tony Hawk, football legends Ronaldo and Marco Reus, streamer IShowSpeed, NFL player Jakob Johnson, former Canadian footballer Lauren Sesselmann, creator collective Yes Theory, and several international digital creators.

The road trip was framed through a sitcom-inspired storyline following fictional delivery driver Dean, drawing inspiration from 1990s television shows while introducing FIFA’s expanding gaming ecosystem.

Beyond social content, FIFA also staged pop-up experiences in West Hollywood, Netflix House in Dallas, and Miami, allowing fans to try titles including FIFA Heroes, FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition, Roblox, Rocket League, and Football Manager. A crossover with Netflix’s Squid Game also formed part of the Dallas activation.

The campaign will conclude at Fanatics Fest in New York, where FIFA and Netflix Games will host the ‘Couch Cup.’ a creator tournament featuring FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition.

According to Christian Volk, Director of Gaming and Esports at FIFA, the initiative reflects the organisation’s ambition to position football within wider entertainment culture.

“Football and gaming both have deep, passionate cultures, and both have the power to shape wider pop culture and pull in new fans. That’s the driving idea behind everything we do with FIFA Digital Football, and the FIFA Gaming Couch is a perfect example,” Volk said.

“We’re investing in storytelling to stretch our original IP into a rich cultural platform for fans and brands alike.”

The Gaming Couch campaign accompanies several recent initiatives under FIFA’s digital football strategy, including the launch of FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition on Netflix Games, the global rollout of FIFA Heroes, integrations with Rocket League and Football Manager 2026, and a special World Cup event inside Roblox’s FIFA Super Soccer.