Roughly 76 million views on YouTube. That is where Nike’s “Rip the Script” film stood in the second week of the 2026 World Cup, according to Mint, against about seven million for the film Adidas made for the same tournament.
Nike launched the campaign in early June, before the tournament opened on June 11 with Mexico against South Africa in Mexico City. Goal reported that the film features Cole Palmer, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona, Ronaldinho, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Didier Drogba as the older generation. Kim Kardashian, Travis Scott, LeBron James and Channing Tatum turn up as well.
Instinct over structure
The idea is football’s creative side. Helena Thornton, Nike’s VP and Creative Director of Global Brand Voice, said on Nike’s website: “We know the magical moments in football happen when players trust their instincts.” She said the team did not want to follow the traditional marketing playbook, and wanted to give fans “something worth talking about, worth clipping, worth wearing, worth showing up to.”
The film is the centrepiece of a wider push. Nike is selling new federation kits with Aero-FIT cooling technology and updated Mercurial, Phantom and Tiempo boots. It also runs a grassroots programme called “Toma el Juego,” which has staged more than 100 tournaments worldwide. A young player named Mateo appears in the film as a stand-in for the next generation. Nike planned refreshed retail spaces and fan experiences in key cities, with dedicated football environments in New York and Los Angeles.
Adidas answers
Adidas came back with “Backyard Legends,” starring Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Lionel Messi and Zinedine Zidane, plus an AI-generated David Beckham. Reports cited by Mint put the production cost at approximately £50 million.
Both ads look more like Hollywood productions than sports commercials, Mint noted. Nike wins online. On the street the picture changes. In New York’s Soho, where the two flagship stores face each other, Adidas has covered its shop in World Cup branding and jerseys, while Nike’s store stays heavily focused on basketball after the Knicks’ recent NBA championship. Adidas pop-ups and installations are a familiar sight across Manhattan, Mint said.
The kit count is close. Adidas supplies 14 teams at the tournament and Nike 12. Puma has 11. Adidas has been tied to the World Cup since 1970, when it introduced the Telstar match ball.
Sources
- Cole Palmer, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe star alongside Kim Kardashian as Nike launches new film ahead of World Cup | Goal.com Canada
- Nike vs Adidas: How sportswear giants have amped spending in FIFA World Cup 2026 | Mint
