Adidas has just launched one of the 2026 World Cup’s most talked-about campaigns. It’s more than a commercial – it’s a movie.
“Backyard Legends” starts off with Timothée Chalamet speeding through the city as he tries to assemble his “dream team.” In the midst of the chaos, he calls Bad Bunny and says: “What do I know about soccer? Nothing.”
As they talk, Jude Bellingham and Lamine Yamal appear in Chalamet’s car. As the story progresses, Messi, Beckham, Del Piero, Zidane and other iconic players appear, building a kind of “soccer multiverse” where different generations, styles and cultures coexist in the same narrative, as if they were part of a parallel universe where global soccer legends intersect with urban scenarios and pop culture codes.
And that’s exactly where one of Adidas’ strongest strategies lies.
The brand understands that soccer no longer connects with viewers only as a sport, but through everything that surrounds it: fashion, music, cinema, aesthetics, and culture. That’s why Adidas brought together legendary soccer players with pop culture icons like Timothée Chalamet and Bad Bunny, two names that dominate online conversations today and connect with audiences beyond soccer fans.
The campaign also connects with the nostalgia that dominates much of today’s digital culture: An urban and 2000s aesthetic, with references to iconic football commercials of the 2000s, with a much more emotional and cinematic narrative.
More than selling T-shirts or sneakers, Adidas is building a cultural experience around the 2026 World Cup. And therein lies the real reason why the campaign has already gone viral.
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