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Editorials How Hyundai Motor Has Reimagined the FIFA World Cup™ Experience Through Mobility, Technology and Innovation
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How Hyundai Motor Has Reimagined the FIFA World Cup™ Experience Through Mobility, Technology and Innovation
From global fan engagement campaigns and record-breaking mobility fleets to breakthrough robotics demonstrations, Hyundai Motor's 27-year partnership with FIFA has evolved far beyond traditional sponsorship, transforming the FIFA World Cup™ experience through mobility, innovation and technology.
While the world's top footballers battled for glory at the FIFA World Cup 2026™, it was a humanoid robot that pulled off the tournament’s most unexpected viral moment. During halftime of a Round of 16 match at New York/New Jersey Stadium, Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot Atlas® emerged from the player tunnel, performed a series of iconic goal celebrations and delivered the ceremonial match ball to the referee.
The activation quickly became one of Hyundai Motor's most recognizable FIFA World Cup™ moments. Behind the scenes, The Training Ground — a documentary-style film showcasing Atlas' preparation — generated more than 16 million views on YouTube. Spot® also featured during the tournament, autonomously monitoring key facilities including the International Broadcast Center in Dallas, highlighting Hyundai Motor Group's growing robotics capabilities and vision for future mobility.
Together, these moments reflected the evolution of Hyundai Motor's nearly three-decade partnership with FIFA—from an automotive sponsorship into a global platform for mobility, innovation and fan engagement.
Since 1999, Hyundai Motor has been a FIFA Partner, the highest tier within FIFA's sponsorship structure. The 27-year relationship remains the longest sponsorship tenure in the automotive sector and ranks among FIFA's longest-running commercial partnerships. The company secured the rights in 1999 following the introduction of FIFA's automotive sponsorship category, with an agreement covering 13 FIFA competitions and providing a platform for global growth and brand recognition.
Hyundai Motor made its debut as an official FIFA partner at the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup in the United States. As FIFA tournaments expanded in scale and reach, so did the company's visibility. By the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™, the Hyundai Motor brand was exposed globally for an average of 15 minutes per match across all 64 matches, demonstrating the marketing power of football's biggest stage and helping establish Hyundai Motor among the world's leading automotive brands.
FIFA tournaments have long provided a platform for Hyundai Motor to showcase the evolution of its mobility technologies. From hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and buses at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ to 226 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) deployed as part of the official fleet at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ — one of the largest deployments of electrified vehicles in FIFA World Cup™ history — the company has consistently used the tournament to demonstrate its mobility innovations.
At FIFA World Cup 2026™, Hyundai Motor supplied 994 passenger vehicles and 506 buses across the United States, Canada and Mexico, representing the largest official vehicle fleet ever deployed for a FIFA World Cup tournament.
Beyond mobility, Hyundai Motor has consistently used its FIFA partnership to bring fans closer to the tournament and transform how they experience the FIFA World Cup™.
One of Hyundai Motor's earliest global fan engagement initiatives was the Goodwill Ball Road Tour, launched ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™. The campaign featured 32 giant footballs that traveled across participating countries, inviting supporters to leave messages of encouragement for their national teams.
At the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, Hyundai Motor expanded that concept through the One Million Dream Balls for Africa initiative, which pledged one million footballs to underprivileged children and youth across Africa through customer and fan participation. The balls were distributed through UN-affiliated organizations and NGOs.
First introduced in 2006, Hyundai Goal of the Tournament has become one of Hyundai Motor's signature FIFA World Cup™ programs, allowing fans to vote for the tournament's best goal. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, Benjamin Pavard's strike against Argentina received more than three million votes.
Hyundai Motor further strengthened the connection between players and supporters through Be There With Hyundai (BTWH), which invites fans to contribute messages and slogans for their national teams to be displayed on Official National Team Buses. For FIFA World Cup 2026™, the program evolved into a global children's artwork initiative, inspiring a new generation of fans through football.
As Hyundai Motor's FIFA partnership evolved, the company created new ways for fans to experience football history and culture beyond matchday, connecting football's past, present and future.
Hyundai Motor's collaboration with the FIFA Museum began at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, where The History Makers exhibition attracted more than 94,000 visitors. The initiative continued at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, with the museum welcoming more than 140,000 visitors.
For FIFA World Cup 2026™, Hyundai Motor introduced Legacies of Champions, a FIFA Museum exhibition at Rockefeller Center in New York. The exhibition celebrated iconic moments and figures in football history while incorporating Atlas and Spot to showcase Hyundai Motor Group's vision for robotics and future mobility—reflecting how the company's FIFA partnership has evolved from traditional sponsorship into immersive fan experiences.
At FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Hyundai Motor launched Goal of the Century, a campaign encouraging collective action toward a more sustainable future. Four years later, the company expanded its vision for the future through Next Starts Now, its FIFA World Cup 2026™ platform connecting communities through football while inspiring the next generation of players, fans and innovators.
A key component of the platform was School of Football, a five-part episodic content series that followed Atlas' journey from curious observer to mastering football-inspired movements. The project showed how advanced robotics technologies including retargeting, reinforcement learning and whole-body control enabled Atlas to master increasingly complex football skills, culminating in the successful execution of the "Ghost Rabona."
The initiative culminated in Atlas' appearance at FIFA World Cup 2026™, demonstrating Hyundai Motor's broader vision for future mobility and human-centered innovation, and how technology can create meaningful experiences that connect with people around the world.
Having extended its FIFA partnership through 2030, Hyundai Motor is already looking ahead to the next chapter of its World Cup journey. The upcoming tournament will mark not only the centennial of the FIFA World Cup™, but also more than three decades of collaboration between Hyundai Motor and FIFA.
What began as an automotive sponsorship has evolved into one of FIFA's longest-running commercial partnerships. As the partnership continues, Hyundai Motor aims to build on that legacy by creating new experiences and bringing mobility, innovation and football closer together on the world's biggest sporting stage.
Disclaimer: Hyundai Motor Company believes the information contained herein to be accurate at the time of release. However, the company may upload new or updated information if required and assumes that it is not liable for the accuracy of any information interpreted and used by the reader.
About Hyundai Motor Company
Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is present in over 200 countries with more than 120,000 employees dedicated to tackling real-world mobility challenges around the globe. Based on the brand vision of ‘Progress for Humanity,’ Hyundai Motor is accelerating its transformation beyond mobility through advanced robotics and physical AI. The company invests in new technologies to bring about revolutionary solutions while pursuing open innovation to introduce future mobility services. In pursuit of a sustainable future for the world, Hyundai Motor will continue its commitment to carbon reduction as a full lineup provider with industry-leading ICE, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell and EV technologies.
More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at: https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en/ or Newsroom: Media Hub by Hyundai
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