A tested path to 50% more fan engagement, with real fans in the stands

Once-in-a-lifetime experiences turning fans into participants in unforgettable heroic moments at live World Cup matches.

FIFA

50%

projected engagement uplift

concept prototyped and tested

Zero

new rights required

FIFA has a rare position in global culture as the custodian of the world’s most-watched sporting event, with access to unmatched video rights and a massive global audience. But with younger fans expecting more interactive, digital-first experiences, the organisation needed new ways to stay relevant.

We tested a concept that cuts a fan’s own match-day footage together with official FIFA cameras, so the memory they share is both perfect and theirs. Modelling put the potential uplift in engagement at live matches at around 50%, using rights and content FIFA already owned.

Before

FIFA’s position is close to unique. Custodian of the most-watched event on earth, with video rights nobody else can touch and a global audience that turns up every four years.

Fans in the stadium filmed the goal on their phones and posted the shaky version, because the broadcast angle was perfect and didn’t prove they were there.

Engagement was built around passive formats: broadcast, highlights, in-stadium entertainment

Younger, mobile-first audiences were engaging with sport in more interactive and participatory ways

FIFA’s content library was rich, but underused when it came to individual fan storytelling

Internal teams wanted to innovate, but lacked clarity on what fans truly valued or how to test new ideas at pace

After

The concept builds a personalised highlight reel, cutting the fan’s own photos and video together with official FIFA footage of the same moments.

This project has opened new pathways for FIFA’s design and technology teams. It has generated internal excitement, not just for the concept itself, but for how it demonstrated what’s possible when rights, creativity, and technology converge.

Modelling put the potential uplift in digital engagement at live matches at around 50%.

Prototyped and tested the concept with a range of fan types to validate real-world use cases

Gave fans a new way to relive and share their experience rooted in memory, emotion, and participation

Established a replicable approach to innovation grounded in insight and cross-functional collaboration

Sparked momentum across design and technology teams by showing what’s possible when creative rights and user insight align

What we did

Talked to people who'd been there.

Interviews with fans who attended World Cup matches, about the emotional shape of the day rather than the product.

Found the constraints early.

Sessions with FIFA's internal teams on technical limits, rights and strategic goals, before generating anything.

Generated across disciplines.

Design, research and engineering in the same room, so ideas arrived already tested against feasibility.

Prototyped and put it in front of fans.

Rapid builds, real users, then prioritised on what fans wanted and what FIFA could actually do.

Our process for FIFA

A disciplined hunt for value — the structure to explore the unknown without the usual cost of getting it wrong.

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