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From Katy Perry’s opening ceremony performance to Spain’s thrilling finals win, there was no shortage of starry
moments at the stadiums throughout the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup. But there were plenty of star sightings off the pitch as well.
With the global soccer tournament arriving in North America for the first time across three different countries — Canada, Mexico and the U.S. — A-list musicians and Hollywood entertainers were closer than ever to the action, while brands battled to land the big stars for their activations.
Tequila Don Julio at the 2026 World Cup
Jessica Alba, Druski, Teyana Taylor, Winnie Harlow, Olympic hockey champ, Jack Hughes, and two-time NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, were among the stars spotted in the Tequila Don Julio 1942 suite at MetLife Stadium Sunday to watch as Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time to take home the 2026 World Cup trophy.
Many of the stars were also onboard the Don Julio yacht docked in Manhattan earlier in the week as part of the tequila brand’s “Port of Champions” week-long waterfront takeover on the Hudson River. Don Julio welcomed guests onboard at 200-foot mega yacht on the West Side of the city for game-day watch parties, tequila tastings and musical performances from the likes of Nas, Coco Jones and Burna Boy, the latter of whom surprised the crowd at the Don Julio activation a day before taking the stage with Shakira at the World Cup final halftime show.
“The impact of the FIFA World Cup extends far beyond the matches themselves — shaping culture, celebration and communities around the world,” says Julian Garcia, Vice President of Tequila Don Julio at Diageo North America. “With the tournament culminating in New York and New Jersey, we saw a unique opportunity to create an experience that matched the prestige and attention surrounding the week leading into the Final match… while staying true to the role Tequila Don Julio 1942 has long played at the center of celebration.”
Don Julio was an “Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Supporter,” and the brand showed up across a number of games and cities during the tournament. Don Julio brought guests out to Miami for the quarterfinal match between England and Norway (with the group sporting custom Siegelman Stable hats co-branded with the Norwegian flag and Don Julio logo), and the party continued later to the ultraclub E11EVEN, where Norwegian striker Erling Haaland was spotted partying with teammates, despite their loss to England earlier in the day. The tequila seen at Haaland’s booth: Don Julio 1942, natch.
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Tequila Don Julio 1942 FIFA World Cup 2026 Edition
To commemorate this year’s global soccer tournament the brand has dropped a limited-edition FIFA World Cup release, with an instantly-distinctive shape, gold-colored bottle and emerald green malachite closure.
The bottles bears the official FIFA World Cup 2026 logo and reimagines 1942 as a trophy piece, one that “fans everywhere can take home and raise in their own unforgettable moments,” per an accompanying description. A great gift idea or bar cart showstopper, the bottle is available to purchase online now at TotalWine.com. Choose to drink and share the 100% Blue Weber agave Añejo tequila inside or keep the bottle unopened as a collector’s piece.
The Don Julio guests stayed at Eden Roc Miami Beach, the iconic — and historic — architectural landmark located mid-beach, offering a sophisticated reprieve from the fray down below. Merging Hollywood glamour with Miami’s laidback luxury, the property just celebrated its 70th anniversary.
SoFi at the 2026 World Cup
Sterling K. Brown, Simu Liu, Chloe Bailey and Nick Lachey were just some of the other actors and musicians who were spotted at this year’s World Cup games, with financial services company, SoFi, hosting the stars in their suite in Los Angeles earlier this month.
Brown and Bailey joined Dylan Efron, Ginny & Georgia star Brianne Howey and actor Jay Ellis at the U.S. Men’s National Team’s opening match on June 12, which took place inside Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium (renamed to “Los Angeles Stadium” per FIFA’s official “clean stadium” naming policy).
The stars took in the game from SoFi’s VIP suite, where they got to watch Perry, Lisa, Rema, Anitta, and Future perform ahead of the USMNT’s World Cup campaign kickoff, which the team ultimately won by a score of 4-1 over Paraguay.
Brown was spotted changing into an official USA Nike soccer jersey in a corner of the suite, while Efron held court with his girlfriend in the reserved seats at the front, capturing plays and cheers from the sold-out stadium on his phone. Bailey, meantime, dazzled in a red and white fringe top for the festive fan occasion.
SoFi was back at it for the U.S. team’s final Group Stage game, with Shang-Chi star Liu bringing a trio of friends to the decked-out suite, a day after celebrating the launch of new rice bowls for his frozen foods company, MìLà. While Chace Crawford, Lachey and other guests in the suite gamely changed into U.S. soccer jerseys, Liu jokingly relented, claiming his Canadian citizenship would be renounced if he was spotted rooting for another team (sure enough, the Toronto native was spotted back at SoFi Stadium a few days later cheering on Canada’s 1-0 win over South Africa in their Knockout Stage match).
The final U.S. Group Stage game had little bearing on the men’s team’s World Cup journey, as they had already advanced to the next round. Still, Los Angeles Stadium was packed for the event, with Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade and Modern Family’s Ty Burrell spotted in the suite next to SoFi’s, while Will Ferrell and Leonardo DiCaprio were seen on the jumbotron (the former more enthusiastically than the latter).
Both matches showcased the elevated access and benefits available to members through SoFi Plus, the financial institution’s membership program. In addition to a host of enhanced rates and offers (think cash back rewards for SoFi credit card users, unlimited sessions with SoFi financial planners and up to 4.50% APY in a SoFi Bank savings account), SoFi Plus Experiences offers members exclusive access to live music, sports and entertainment events — think everything from CMA Fest to sold-out concerts.
As the brand says in a press release, “Through exclusive access and curated moments, SoFi continued to demonstrate how it connects members to the cultural moments that matter most.”
Yerba Madre at the 2026 World Cup
Yerba mate is having a moment, and the World Cup was an unexpected showcase for the highly-caffeinated beverage. It’s hugely popular in South America, including some countries that happen to be football powerhouses — Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil included.
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Yerba Madre was among the beverage brands that held activations around the World Cup, which focused on promoting its canned versions as well as raising general awareness for the herbal drink. But the World Cup’s biggest stars have been doing free publicity for the beverage for years; take Lionel Messi, who’s often seen off the pitch with a mate gourd in hand.
NUTRL at the 2026 World Cup
Over on the East Coast, the vodka seltzer brand, NUTRL, brought out journalists for the France vs. Senegal match at MetLife Stadium (currently branded as “New York New Jersey Stadium” for the World Cup).
NUTRL is the official hard seltzer sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, and the canned cocktail was an ideal drink for the outdoor match, which took place amid a heatwave in the Northeast. The match started at 3pm, and much of the sold-out crowd (which included Issa Rae) was under the blazing summer sun, which called for an ice cold NUTRL on hand, natch.
The vodka hard seltzer is made with real fruit juice, and we love the tropical and fruity pineapple flavor, though the brand also offers other fun varieties like peach, black cherry, lime, and their newly-launched blueberry. With 4.5% ABV and just 100 calories, the hard seltzers are light, refreshing, and an easy pick-up for any social gathering, chief of course for entertainment events like the World Cup.
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NUTRL Vodka Hard Seltzer Variety Pack
This variety pack comes with eight, 12 oz. cans with pineapple, watermelon, lemon and black cherry flavors.
As for the match itself: it was a thrilling ride from start to finish, with soccer legend Kylian Mbappé scoring two out of France’s three goals that led them to an incredible win.
Guinness at the 2026 World Cup
Guinness, meantime, has quietly become Gen Z’s favorite beer over the last couple years. So it made sense that the 267-year-old label teamed up (once again) with one of the coolest young soccer merch brands around, Art of Football, for a pre-World Cup bash in New York City. The party filled Buddy’s NYC with influencers and VIPs for an in-person look at the Premier League Trophy and, of course, endless pints. At the center of the collaboration (and on everyone’s backs at the party) was the two brand’s new collection of Guinness soccer gear, including jerseys, polo shirts, and tees. Shop the capsule now at art-of.com.
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In addition to stadium activations, the 2026 World Cup has led to a number of brand collaborationsas well, from Pacsun to Urban Outfitters. The global soccer tournament concluded July 19.
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