With just 17 days until the start of the Soccer World Cup, which will be held between June 11 and July 19 in Mexico, the United States and Canada, the Royal Spanish Soccer Federation has announced the players who will represent Spain in the competition. “Spain’s list” has been presented with an emotional video, in line with the trend that in recent years has brought the worlds of sport and entertainment closer together, and has opened a communication context to which the collaborating brands and sponsors of the National Team are also joining.
The list of an entire country
Achieving the follow-up and support of Spanish society for the team during the tournament is the objective of the Federation, and it seeks this with a video focused on the feeling of belonging and that has been worked on by the Communication Department of the RFEF. Under the claim “It is the list of an entire country. It is the list of Spain” it calls on the population to encourage the players on their path to a possible second star.
For this, it has had the presence of the King, as the highest representative of the country, but also with people and fans of different professions and trades, from all corners of Spain. The video begins with a radio announcement that reminds us that that day, coach Luis de la Fuente will announce the call. However, at a press conference, he apologizes and hands over communication of the list to the Spanish. “This call is not mine, it belongs to everyone“, says.
Felipe VI takes over the narration and highlights that the Spanish National Team belongs to everyone, and anonymous citizens in their respective jobs list one by one the names of the 26 players called up for the World Cup. “When our National Team plays, we all play“, expresses the monarch on the field of the Ciudad del Fútbol, in Madrid.
Oriol Villar and Movistar play with AI
Movistar, sponsoring partner of the Spanish National Team, has taken advantage of the publication of the squad list to launch its own campaign. It is titled “Batido” and has been developed by the creative agency Oriol Villar under the concept “Being the official network of our team” and within its communication platform “It is for everyone.”
As explained by Aitor Goyenechea, Director of Advertising, Brand and Sponsorships Telefónica/Movistar Spain, through LinkedIn, the piece is based on asking how a group of young people would make an audiovisual tribute to the National Team and its fans before the World Cup in 2026. Artificial intelligence is the answer and the result is a world full of football and an epic video that reflects that invisible connection that unites an entire country when it plays its equipment, in parallel with the network and connectivity provided by the company.
Thus, the spot takes the appearance of a motivational video in which players like Marc Cucurella, Lamine Yamal or Borja Iglesias talk about the feeling of unity that emerges around the National Team. All of them have been recreated thanks to technology, as has also happened with the presence of Teresa Perales, Juanma Castaño, Mónica Marchante and Ferran Adrià, or Spanish fans.
The advertisement has been produced together with Roma and Mito AI and is the result of the work of a human technical and creative team with more than 140 specialists. What’s more, the video itself includes the text “Produced with the enthusiasm and hard work of a team of more than 100 human beings using an AI tool with meaning and respect.”
Goyenechea assures that the video is “a story about a shared emotion“, “about people who, from different places, feel the same at the same time” and “about that network that encourages, supports and accompanies when the National Team takes the fieldHe also considers it an exploration of how technology can help “open new ways of imagining, producing and emoting“and to tell stories without losing sight and human judgment.
This is something that Oriol Villar, Founder and Creative Director of the agency, also defends. “AI does not replace ideas, people, or emotion. But used with sensitivity, judgment and respect, it will help us find new ways of imagining and telling stories. This spot was born exactly from there.”, he commented in a statement.
The campaign was launched on May 25 and has media planning that includes activations on television, cinema, outdoor, press and digital media.
Old Spice humor
Old Spice has also been accompanying the National Team’s path to the World Cup for weeks. The brand signed a sponsorship agreement with the Federation six months ago and since then has made collaboration one of the axes of its communication. Under the claim “Smells like a champion, champion”, it has highlighted its deodorants and gels alongside Spanish players with the irreverence that characterizes the Procter & Gamble brand.
Old Spice has also created a limited edition of its products with the faces of players Lamine Yamal, Huijsen, Pedri, Rodri and Nico Williams.
Ebro proposes the theft of Manolo’s bass drum
Humor has also articulated the campaign of the Ebro automobile company, which acts as a sponsoring partner of the National Team. In the advertisement, created together with the agency Forasters Studio and the production company Kiwi Films, it shows how Lamine Yamal, Marc Cucurella, Ferran Torres, Martín Zubimendi and Borja Iglesias decide to steal Luis De la Fuente’s car for Manolo’s hype to the fans.
“El Bombo de Todos” has included the creation of a sculpture of the figure of Manolo with the bass drum that has been traveling around different parts of Spain for days. The first stop was the Plaza de Colón because it is where the Spanish National Team celebrates its titles. He has also been to the Mercado de Colón, in Valencia, where Manolo was from, and the last stop will be in America, together with the national team.
