Avid followers of the Boston Marathon in April would have noticed a group of runners who bore an uncanny resemblance to Alexi Lalas, a former U.S. World Cup soccer player—and current Fox Sports analyst.
The lookalikes, affectionately known as the “Lalas Bros,” were part of a Fox Sports activation geared towards generating enthusiasm and excitement for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Fox Sports is the U.S. English-language media rights holder for the month-long competition, which kicks off on Thursday, June 11, and the network is leaving no stone unturned as it hypes up its coverage ahead of the first game and looks to carry that enthusiasm across all 104 matches.
“I’m definitely seeing enthusiasm and hype for the World Cup in a lot of different ways and in a lot of different places,” said Robert Gottlieb, Fox Sports’ president of marketing.
Speaking to ADWEEK, Gottlieb recently discussed Fox Sports’ strategy across linear, digital, and offline channels, noting that the company is using a mix of traditional marketing and attention-grabbing stunts in its World Cup playbook.
Kicking things off right
According to Gottlieb, the company began its World Cup promotion around a year ago in teaser spots, capitalizing on increased viewership for the NFL on Fox.
“We had a teaser with thousands of soccer balls floating in front of the Statue of Liberty as if they were arriving from overseas,” Gottlieb said of the marketing kickoff.
Key World Cup Trends to Watch
World Cup 2026 viewership will be even more fragmented than in 2022. Using our signal-based tools to track unique past, present, and future-looking data, our latest Nexxen U report predicts fan behavior for 2026—and how it will reshape viewing across platforms well beyond the tournament.
- 43% will watch on CTV (+14% vs. 2022)
- 19M incremental viewers will follow highlights and news—not live matches
- 49% will seek free ways to watch (e.g., FAST, bars, friends’ homes)
