- Steven Gerrard has fronted a football-themed promotional video for Laizhou Whiskey, a Chinese single malt brand, timed to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- The ad, shot in a relaxed, conversational format, features Gerrard backing England's World Cup chances before endorsing the product directly.
- The campaign is part of a wider trend of Chinese drink brands using European football icons to grow global recognition.
- Laizhou, founded in 2021 and already internationally award-winning, is using World Cup fever to push beyond the Chinese domestic market.
Steven Gerrard is the latest football legend to lend his name to a Chinese brand’s World Cup push. The Liverpool icon stars in a new promotional video for Laizhou Whiskey, a single malt produced by Shanghai Bacchus Liquor’s Sichuan-based distillery, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The ad is built around a relaxed, conversational setting rather than a conventional hard-sell format. Gerrard appears seated with a drink in hand, weighing in on England’s tournament prospects before pivoting to endorse the whiskey, a style that leans more social-media clip than glossy TV commercial.
The campaign sits within a broader trend of Chinese brands using major football names to broaden their global appeal. Erling Haaland recently fronted a Chinese herbal drink campaign for WALOVI, drawing attention for its surreal style and Mandarin-language moments. Gerrard’s Laizhou spot is quieter, but follows the same logic: famous footballer, major sporting moment, shareable content.
This is a smart fit for Laizhou. The distillery, founded in 2021 and based in Qionglai, Sichuan, has grown rapidly, winning four awards at the 2024 Just Drinks Excellence Awards across Environmental, Innovation, Marketing, and Product Launches categories. Its Bourbon Cask Peated Malt also took Gold at the 2026 World Whiskies Awards.
This isn’t Gerrard’s only World Cup play this summer. Just as Thierry Henry fronted Don Julio’s World Cup push, football stars are proving the go-to currency for drinks brands this tournament cycle.
Gerrard was also announced earlier this year as global brand ambassador for WE88, an online gaming platform targeting Southeast Asian audiences ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He has maintained a long-standing sponsorship deal with Adidas and has also endorsed Lucozade Sport, appearing in campaigns such as “Fuel to Rule.”
As a player, Gerrard made 710 appearances for Liverpool and scored 186 goals, cementing a legacy few players could match. Since leaving management at Al-Ettifaq in January 2025, he has leaned into commercial partnerships, and the World Cup has given him a perfect stage to do it.
Takeaways
Chinese spirits are quietly staging a World Cup moment, and Laizhou is leading the charge. By pairing a credible, globally recognisable name like Gerrard with a conversational ad format, the brand sidesteps the polished-but-forgettable approach most spirits campaigns default to.
This is a play for cultural legitimacy as much as product awareness, and in a market where Chinese whisky is still largely unknown to Western consumers, Gerrard’s name carries real weight.
The bigger picture? Chinese brands are getting bolder and smarter about using football stars to bridge domestic prestige with global relevance.
And with Gerrard now racking up World Cup-tied deals across gaming, spirits, and media appearances, he’s clearly positioning himself as the go-to commercial face of English football legend this tournament.
Does Gerrard’s relaxed, non-scripted ad style make Chinese whisky more accessible to Western audiences, or does the unfamiliar brand still face an uphill battle? Could Gerrard become a longer-term ambassador for Laizhou, or is this a one-cycle activation?
