Nike "claimed victory" at the World Cup "despite not being an official sponsor of the tournament," according to Stephen Lepitak of THE DRUM. The sportswear brand, whose "arch-nemesis," adidas, was an official sponsor, was the "official sponsor" of both finalists: France and Croatia. According to Nike, 100 goals were scored by players wearing the company’s boots, including Golden Boot-winner England’s Harry Kane and France’s Kylian Mbappé, who was awarded both Young Player of the Tournament and Player of the Tournament, as well as Croatian playmaker Luka Modric. Nike President of Consumer & Marketplace Elliott Hill said, "We’ve been in the game of football for over 20 years, and it’s the first time that we’ve had an all-Nike final." The company also claimed that its "Believe" campaign, which features Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar in short films, alongside a "longer standalone trailer," generated more than 100 million views and more than 50 million engagements. Meanwhile, according to data from MediaCom North, Budweiser, which was an official competition sponsor, drew more than 55,000 total mentions on Twitter through its #ManoftheMatch content, ahead of second-placed brand Ikea, which garnered around 35,000 mentions. Amazon, adidas and Nike "made up the rest of the top five brands for social media engagement" during the tournament (THE DRUM, 7/16).
