You didn’t need a pair of football boots to score big at the 2026 World Cup—just a famous name and a lucrative commercial deal.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup shattered viewership records across the globe, reaching over 62 million viewers in the United States alone for the final between Spain and Argentina.
Meanwhile, FIFA’s digital platforms also surpassed 20 billion video views throughout the tournament.
We saw global powerhouses back the event, with FIFA partners including Adidas, Coca-Cola, Visa, Hyundai-Kia, and Qatar Airways, alongside sponsors like McDonald’s, Budweiser and the Bank of America.
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Plenty of A-listers packed the stands for the final, including Tom Cruise, Beyonce, Jay-Z, David and Victoria Beckham, Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Matt Damon, and Mick Jagger.
However, it wasn’t just for their viewing, as many saw the tournament as a business opportunity.
How much A-list celebrities earned from the 2026 World Cup
Here is a breakdown of how various celebrities monetised the 2026 World Cup, including a few surprise names like Susan Boyle and Brooklyn Beckham, who you wouldn’t associate with the sport.
An estimation of earnings was provided by The Sun.
David Beckham — $25 Million (£19 Million)
Nobody cleaned up financially quite like David Beckham. The former England skipper made the absolute most of his brand value, locking down exclusive multi-million-pound deals to front massive World Cup ad campaigns for everyone from Adidas and Lay’s to McDonald’s, Lenovo, and EA Sports.
Shakira — $20 Million (£15 Million)
Unsurprisingly, Shakira proved once again that she owns the football soundtrack. Landing the coveted halftime show slot at the final, the singer pocketed a hefty performance fee, banked big on official anthem deals, and watched her global streaming numbers skyrocket.
Justin Bieber — $16 Million (£12 Million)
Justin Bieber made bank at the final, landing a multi-million-pound check to co-headline the halftime show. He then boosted his total into eight figures by signing on to a wave of commercial deals linked directly to the tournament.
Timothée Chalamet — $16 Million (£12 Million)
Timothée Chalamet proved that movie stars can score big at the World Cup too. He pocketed millions through a string of tournament-adjacent fashion partnerships, most notably serving as the face and voice of Adidas’s short-film campaign.
Lisa (BLACKPINK) — $12 Million (£9 Million)
The K-Pop star capitalised on the tournament’s global reach by starring in Nike’s main World Cup campaign alongside various international endorsement and appearance deals.
Kim Kardashian — $10.5 Million (£8 Million)
Kim Kardashian took a clever approach to her World Cup payday. Instead of standard TV ads, she scored a lucrative cameo in Nike’s global campaign and popped up in prime-time seats throughout the tournament, cleverly flexing her personal brand to billions of eyes.
Madonna — $5.3 Million (£4 Million)
The pop icon earned a substantial fee for her guest appearance during the halftime show at the World Cup final.
Brooklyn Beckham — ~$1 Million (£800k)
Following his father’s commercial footsteps, Brooklyn featured in a high-budget DoorDash commercial aired prominently throughout the tournament broadcast.
Susan Boyle — $670,000 (£500,000)
The Scottish singer secured a significant payday by featuring in Irn-Bru’s World Cup advertising campaign, which reunited famous Scottish icons during the competition.
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