FIFA sponsors focus on advancing women’s game

FIFA's six global Women’s World Cup partners will activate around the tournament globally, many focusing on elevating the sport of women’s soccer.

Visa, which has been a FIFA sponsor since 2007, is planning what it says will be its biggest sports-related activation in 2019 against the tournament — a global campaign that is centered around empowering women.

“Our view is that women’s soccer is at a tipping point, and we want to be one of the forces that takes it to the next level,” said Chris Curtin, Visa chief brand and innovation marketing officer.

The company’s campaign, “One Moment Can Change the Game,” features Visa-sponsored female soccer players such as England’s Lucy Bronze and Denmark’s Nadia Nadim. The spots share moments of acceptance and empowerment from the players’ lives, and how that affected them. For example, Nadim, an Afghani refugee, was selected as a member of Denmark’s under-15 regional team after arriving in the country in 2000. The campaign will roll out in 33 markets across the globe in a combination of digital, social, print and broadcast activations.

Qatar Airways is launching a television ad campaign around the tournament in which an airplane takes a young daughter and mother to a land where women’s soccer reigns. Adidas previously announced it would be paying players it sponsors on the winning women’s team the same bonus it pays those it sponsors on the men’s winning team.

“As our campaign states, we think it takes one moment for the world to catch on to the popularity of women’s soccer,” Curtin said.