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.

 Do you have Lay’s? Well, this seemingly simple question could lead to unexpected rewards, at unexpected moments, and sometimes by unexpected people. Lay’s, the world’s number one chip brand and official snack partner of the UEFA Champions League, has launched No Lay’s, No Game 2024, rewarding fans who are game day ready with Lay’s throughout the tournament. Through an ambitious “Chip Cam” stunt featuring football superstars David Beckham and Thierry Henry.

“We’ve heard from football fans from all over the world and they tell us the same thing: whether watching with a group of friends or at home solo, the experience is always better when sharing a bag of Lay’s,” said Ciara Dilley, vice president of marketing, Global Foods Group at PepsiCo. “This year, No Lay’s, No Game is giving fans even more reasons to have Lay’s in hand. For those who do, something truly remarkable might happen.

This year, Lay’s took a bold approach to its campaign and invited Beckham and Henry to ask, “Do you have Lay’s?” to a crowd of 75,000 cheering fans at San Siro during one of the most anticipated matches of the UEFA Champions League season between AC Milan and PSG. Just before kick-off, Beckham discovered, and couldn’t believe, that Henry had eaten all of his Lay’s chips. To solve it in just five minutes, the two put out a call through the Lay’s “Chip Cam” – an unexpected spin on the traditional kiss cam.

In what turns out to be a nail-biting, yet humorous, search for someone with Lay’s, the Chip Cam scans the crowd. Beckham and Henry see spectators offering up items on the jumbotron – like pizzas, empty Lay’s bags, even a couple kissing – desperate to be selected. Finally, to Beckham and Henry’s delight, two lucky fans, a father and daughter, are found with Lay’s and are invited to watch the game with the iconic football stars – proving having Lay’s can unlock a truly mind-blowing football watching experience. This epic hunt to find fans with Lay’s – and opening the door to a once-in-a-lifetime viewing experience for the lucky winners – serves as the main feature of this year’s No Lay’s, No Game commercial and will air throughout the UEFA Champions League 2024 tournament season.

“We had a great day filming at the San Siro stadium for No Lay’s, No Game. Whenever Thierry and I get together it’s always a lot of fun – and it was fantastic being able to surprise 75,000 fans,” said Beckham.

“Last year, I teamed up with Lay’s to surprise some of football’s biggest fans by literally going to their doors to see if they had Lay’s – and if they did, I stayed and watched the match with them,” said Henry. “This year, we really upped the ante with the Lay’s Chip Cam, and it was truly an exhilarating experience being back in the stadium with David. We spent a lot of our careers playing against each other on the pitch, so there’s something special about coming together with Lay’s in a whole new way to offer a once in a lifetime experience for fans.”

The campaign was created in partnership with Slap Global and directed by award-winning commercial and television director Andrew Lane.

You can catch UEFA Champions League action on Sportsmax and the Sportsmax app.