Lay’s, a brand that has been bringing people together for generations, is building on its commitment to celebrating soccer fandom by becoming an Official snack of both the FIFA World Cup 26™ and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™. The exciting new partnership brings together two titans – the world’s favorite chip brand and the world’s biggest and most popular single sporting event for men and women – to spread the joy of the game to millions of fans worldwide. As Official Sponsor, Lay’s, alongside an iconic portfolio of food brands including Doritos®, Cheetos®, Tostitos®, Ruffles®, Quaker® and Gamesa®, will bring fans closer to the game than ever before with exclusive experiences, merchandise, consumer activations and more.
“Partnering with FIFA marks a significant milestone for our business and ambition to embed Lay’s and our extended portfolio of food brands deeper into football culture,” said Jane Wakely, Chief Consumer and Marketing Officer and Chief Growth Officer, International Foods – Lay’s. “Football is one of the world's biggest passion points, and this historic partnership allows us to bring the excitement and reach of the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Women’s World Cup together with the joy and fun of our iconic brands across the world.”
On announcing the deal, FIFA President, Gianni Infantino said: “We’re delighted to extend this partnership with Lay’s and strengthen our collaboration as we head into a historic period for FIFA and the wider soccer community. After being involved in the last FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women’s World Cup, we’re proud that Lay’s has shared in our trust, vision, and ideas for the development of the global game and has joined us on this journey into the future. Together, we will create special experiences for fans worldwide.”
The FIFA World Cup 26™ will be the first edition to feature 48 teams and to be hosted across three countries – United States, Mexico and Canada – while the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ will be held in South America for the first time in 2027. With the two tournaments set to make history, Lay’s is joining the hype by rewarding soccer fans in new and unexpected ways. The brand will break new ground in 2026 by recognizing and rewarding the “Fan of the Match” at every match, spotlighting those in the stands whose passion and energy bring the beautiful game to life, and providing them with one-of-a-kind experiences.
Additionally, Lay’s, and the full portfolio of food brands, will engage fans on a global scale via in-store and digital promotions leading up to the FIFA World Cup 26™ and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™. The brands will also be prominently featured on the pitch during every match through LED stadium display board exposure, press conference backdrops, as well as products sold across concession stands. Going beyond the stadiums, Lay’s and the iconic food portfolio will deliver immersive consumer experiences at FIFA official fan zones across host cities.
Lay’s has established a strong legacy with FIFA and the world of soccer fandom. The brand has led massive culture-defining initiatives, including the No Lay’s, No Game platform, which has created viral moments with soccer mega-stars like David Beckham and Thierry Henry. The legendary duo, earlier this year, stunned an entire stadium of 75,000 cheering fans as they orchestrated an epic hunt for Lay’s. The brand additionally launched the instantly iconic Oh Lay’scampaign which took the traditional “Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé” mantra and put a Lay’s twist on it with the help of the G.O.A.T., Lionel Messi.
Michel craving bolder approach to halt Girona losing streak
Girona head coach Michel has urged his team to rediscover their attacking spark by adopting a bolder approach in the final third against Athletic Bilbao this Sunday.
Girona return to LaLiga action at the Estadi Montilivi following their 3-2 Champions League defeat to Feyenoord in midweek, leaving them winless in the competition.
The Blanquivermells have also struggled in the league, failing to win any of their last four matches (D2 L2), while only scoring two goals during that run.
Michel's side currently sit 13th in the standings with nine points from their first eight games, while Bilbao are up in sixth on 14 points.
Girona have lost only one of their last four against this weekend's opponents in LaLiga (W2 D1), with Michel desperate to see his side return to winning ways.
"The most important thing is the league, which is our vitality, it is where we have to perform to be able to make the club grow," Michel said.
"We need a victory with home fans so that the good feelings can turn into points."
But the Girona head coach did take on some of the blame for his side's transition to playing Champions League football this term.
After tomorrow's fixture, the Blanquivermells will have played six games in 18 days, and Michel was able to pinpoint the differences from last season to this.
"I have to be the one who adapts to the player's characteristics because otherwise they won't be comfortable on the pitch," Michel said.
"In my mind it is clear that my way of playing is good for any player, but they have to understand that they have to take a step in our game. Any player can do that.
"I'm not asking them to dribble past three defenders and score, but I do ask that they play forward and upward, that they should always look at their opponents' faces (bravely).
"We have a team that can perform very well and do things very well. We must not enter into negative dynamics."
Kovacic dedicates Man City double to future child
Two-goal hero Mateo Kovacic dedicated his double to his future child following Manchester City's 3-2 victory over Fulham.
Kovacic scored either side of half-time to complete the turnaround, as Pep Guardiola's side came from behind to maintain the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool, who they trail by a single point.
The Croatian's deflected strike in the 32nd minute levelled the contest, before he swept City in front from 20 yards within two minutes of the restart.
That took Kovacic's goal tally for the season to three - already his best return in a single Premier League campaign - and his strikes had added significance on a personal level.
"It means a lot because my wife is pregnant, so it was great to get some goals for the little one," he said. "It is never easy to play in the Premier League and, today, we showed great character.
"We dominated in the beginning and couldn't score, conceded the goal and then came back quickly. In the end, we won it. It was a tough game against an opponent in good form, so for us, it is good to continue winning.
"It is always important to get the win. It doesn't matter who scores; the most important thing is getting three points. Now, we hope to continue like this."
Kovacic anchored City's midfield in the absence of Rodri, who suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal a fortnight ago.
"I am playing there in the middle at the moment and, of course, we need to cover for Rodri. We miss him a lot," the 30-year-old added.
"I think any team would miss him, the player that he is, and we wish him a speedy recovery and hope he comes back in as good a shape as possible.
"For now, we have to adapt and, for sure, the manager has a lot of options, so we can rotate."
Union Berlin 2-1 Borussia Dortmund: BVB's away struggles continue
Borussia Dortmund slumped to a 2-1 loss at Union Berlin in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
In a match that took place just four days after BVB’s 7-1 demolition of Celtic in the Champions League for their biggest European win, their familiar domestic away woes returned in the German capital.
Union's Kevin Vogt ended a 10-year Bundesliga goal drought after converting a 26th-minute penalty.
Vogt's previous goal was scored on October 18, 2014, making it a record 275 Bundesliga matches between goals for an outfield player.
Dortmund showed none of the aggression they produced in the win over Celtic and before half-time they conceded another with Yorbe Vertessen's low strike from the edge of the box.
Julian Ryerson pulled a goal back for the visitors just past the hour, but they could not find an equaliser despite applying some late pressure.
The loss meant Dortmund dropped to seventh place in the standings on 10 points, with Union now one place and one point above them.
Data Debrief: Away woes for BVB
Dortmund had lost 5-1 to Stuttgart in their previous away game on September 22 and, dating back to the end of last season, have now collected just one point from their last five Bundesliga road matches.
They have failed to score more than once in any of those games.
Dortmund dominated the possession (67.1%) here but only converted that control of the ball into eight shots, four of which were on target, resulting in a poor accumulated expected goals (xG) total of just 0.66.
One of the few BVB positives was the performance of Julian Brandt, who created a game-high four chances and got the assist for Ryerson’s goal.
Midfielder Brandt has now created a goal in three straight games across all competitions and has four assists overall for Dortmund this season.
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