- Nike dropped a star-studded 6-minute short film called "Rip the Script" for the 2026 World Cup, featuring LeBron James, Kim Kardashian, Travis Scott, Channing Tatum, Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, LISA, and Young Miko alongside soccer legends Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Vini Jr.
- Kim Kardashian stars alongside her 10-year-old son Saint West, his first live-action acting gig, with Saint sporting the new Paris Saint-Germain F.C. x Awake kit, making the film the official launch vehicle for that jersey.
- Nike plans to extend the film's storyline with new content drops across all cast members over the next ten weeks for the duration of the tournament, the longest in World Cup history.
Nike went full Hollywood for its 2026 World Cup campaign, releasing a 6-minute blockbuster-style short film titled “Rip the Script.”
The star-packed cast includes LeBron James, Kim Kardashian, Travis Scott, Channing Tatum, Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, and K-pop star Lisa of BLACKPINK, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland.
Kardashian’s 10-year-old son Saint West, a legit PSG fan, wore the new Paris Saint-Germain F.C. x Awake kit in the film, making it the jersey’s official launch moment.
For LeBron, this is a natural fit, his Nike partnership dates back to 2003 and escalated to a lifetime deal in 2015, reportedly worth over $1 billion, making him one of the Swoosh’s most enduring faces.
For Kardashian, the timing tracks: NikeSkims, her joint activewear brand with Nike, launched in September 2025, with its first footwear drop, a remix of the Air Rift, arriving in January 2026. Beyond Nike, Kardashian’s SKIMS brand also holds a deal as the NBA’s official underwear partner.
Nike isn’t alone in loading up on celebrity power for this World Cup. Adidas tapped Timothée Chalamet, Bad Bunny, and Messi for their own WC 2026 campaign, while Lay’s recruited David Beckham, Will Ferrell, and Marshawn Lynch for theirs, a sign that brands are going all-in on cultural crossover to capture the U.S. audience for the first time on home soil.
Nike says the film is just the beginning, the campaign will evolve weekly throughout the tournament, with new content from the cast as stories continue to unfold.
Takeaways
Nike’s “Rip the Script” isn’t just a sports ad, it’s a cultural moment. Bringing in LeBron (a lifetime Nike athlete), Kim Kardashian (who literally co-owns a brand with Nike in NikeSkims), and global pop icons alongside football royalty signals a deliberate pivot: Nike wants World Cup 2026 to be a mainstream American pop culture event, not just a soccer tournament.
The fact that Saint West’s jersey in the film served as the official PSG x Awake kit launch is a reminder that Nike is using entertainment as a product launch vehicle too. With 10 more weeks of content planned, this campaign is built to outlast a single viral moment, it’s a long-game play.
Does casting non-soccer celebrities like Kim Kardashian and LeBron actually convert new fans to football? Nike, Adidas, and Lay’s are all deploying massive celebrity lineups for World Cup 2026, which brand’s strategy do you think will resonate most with a U.S. audience new to the sport?
