​25.06.2026

BRAND NEW Creates the ZDF Sportstudio Campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2026

by Eyes & Ears of Europe

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is the largest in the tournament's history, bringing together three host nations—Canada, Mexico, and the United States. How do you combine the cultural and visual identities of three such distinct countries with the aesthetics of football and the established brand identity of ZDF Sportstudio?

Hamburg-based creative agency BRAND NEW recently took on this challenge, developing a bold, contemporary key visual that serves as the visual foundation across all relevant touchpoints—from the on-air opener to compact streaming thumbnails.

The central motif captures the excitement of football: in the foreground, a player is frozen in the powerful moment of striking the ball, set against the pitch of the monumental final stadium in New Jersey.

Subtle yet distinctive rhythmic patterns were integrated into the stadium's surrounding LED ribbon boards, referencing the cultural identities of Canada, Mexico, and the United States in an understated but effective way.

Carefully tailored to the event, the design consistently follows the "Orange Heat" design framework of ZDF Sportstudio. This ensures that the World Cup branding integrates seamlessly into the established visual language of previous tournaments as well as the regular sports broadcasts running alongside the event.

Based on the master visual, numerous adaptations and additional campaign assets were created, including visuals derived from campaign footage provided by ZDF for the ZDF streaming platform and various social media channels.

In the opener, all visual elements come together through animation. A dynamic editing concept seamlessly combines fully modelled and rendered 3D elements created in Cinema 4D with live-action footage of key players from the German national team and the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

Web: brandnew.world Instagram: @brandnew.team

Web: brandnew.world

IG: @brandnew.team