- Michelob ULTRA, the official beer sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026™, has teamed up with Kevin Hart to launch the "Superior Player of the Match Chief Trophy Officer," a paid fan role at the World Cup final.
- One lucky fan (21+) will be paid $90,000 for 90 minutes of work: carrying the Superior Player of the Match trophy at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium. Applications close May 29, 2026.
- Hart's role is to amplify the campaign and rally fans to apply, calling it "the best job in the world" and joking he even tried applying himself.
- The Superior Player of the Match trophy, designed by renowned artist Victor Solomon, will be awarded via fan vote to a standout player after every match of the tournament.
Michelob ULTRA and Kevin Hart are making FIFA World Cup 2026 history, and they’re taking a fan along for the ride.
The beer brand, America’s #1 top-selling and fastest-growing beer, announced on May 6 a campaign enlisting Hart as its face to recruit the world’s most qualified soccer enthusiast for a newly created role: Superior Player of the Match Chief Trophy Officer.
The job? Carry the brand’s newly designed Superior Player of the Match trophy, crafted by artist Victor Solomon, to the World Cup final on July 19. Compensation: $90,000 for 90 minutes. Benefits included: two tickets to the final.
This is the kind of campaign that only gets bigger with the right personality behind it. Brands chasing World Cup buzz are swinging for the fences this summer. Gabrielle Union and Keegan-Michael Key recently fronted Casamigos’ own World Cup 2026 campaign, and Michelob ULTRA is no different, leaning on Hart’s unmatched cross-demographic appeal.
For Hart, this is another marquee add to a strong endorsements run that includes Gran Coramino tequila, DraftKings, SharkNinja, and a January 2026 brand licensing partnership with Authentic Brands Group.
His Netflix special Acting My Age dropped in November 2025, and he has the comedy 72 Hours hitting Netflix on July 24, 2026, right in the heart of World Cup season. This marks Hart’s first known partnership with Michelob ULTRA.
The brand has a strong history of pairing sports and culture in its campaigns. Earlier this year, Kurt Russell starred in its Super Bowl LX spot, and previous ambassadors have included Serena Williams, Willem Dafoe, Catherine O’Hara, and Peyton Manning.
Similarly, brands like Hisense recruited Terry Crews for a major at-home hosting campaign, signaling a broader industry pattern of using high-energy celebrity personalities to drive consumer participation campaigns.
Takeways
Michelob ULTRA isn’t just sponsoring the World Cup, it’s building a campaign architecture that puts fans at the center of the story. Paying $90,000 for 90 minutes of “work” is a genius media hook that guarantees conversation far beyond what a traditional ad buy could generate.
And partnering with Kevin Hart, a comedian whose likability spans virtually every demographic, ensures the message gets amplified loudly. Hart’s 72 Hours releasing just days after the World Cup final is also not a bad backdrop for brand visibility.
For Michelob ULTRA, this campaign doubles as a fan engagement play and a brand identity moment, reinforcing that this is a beer built around sport, access, and culture. Worth watching: whether this trophy gimmick inspires a new wave of “fan employment” marketing plays from other World Cup sponsors.
Would you apply for a job that pays $90,000 for 90 minutes and what would your 90-second pitch look like? Does Kevin Hart’s brand feel like a natural fit for soccer culture, or is this a calculated crossover play?
