"Next Starts Now"...Hyundai Motor Launches 2026 World Cup Campaign

Encompassing Next-Generation Football and the Vision for Future Mobility
From Sponsorship Activities Showcasing Robotics Technology
to Various Events for Global Football Fans
Campaign Video Released Featuring Son Heungmin and "Atlas"

Hyundai Motor Company announced on June 8 that it will officially launch its brand World Cup campaign, "Next Starts Now," for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, encompassing the vision for next-generation football and future mobility.

Key scenes from Hyundai Motor Company's World Cup campaign main video 'The Future Starts Here and Now'. Hyundai Motor Company

Through this campaign, Hyundai Motor plans to introduce a new brand experience to football fans around the globe via various programs, ranging from sponsorship activities that showcase new possibilities in future mobility centered on robotics technology, to signature fan engagement events.

Earlier this month, Hyundai Motor signaled the official start of the campaign by releasing a main video with the message that the future is not something to wait for, but something to be created from this very moment.

Produced under the brand vision of "Progress for Humanity," the video dynamically captures the challenges of next-generation football prospects and the future shaped by Hyundai Motor's mobility innovations on the global stage.

In addition, Son Heung-min, Hyundai Motor's global brand ambassador, appears as an inspiring legend for the younger generation, adding meaning by motivating youth players. Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot "Atlas" also appears, symbolically presenting Hyundai Motor's vision for robotics technology.

Hyundai Motor plans to deliver the core message of "Next Starts Now" to football fans in approximately 180 countries worldwide through diverse channels including TV, digital, and social platforms.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor will further expand its sponsorship programs on-site as the official mobility partner at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ during the tournament.

To mark the opening of the largest-ever World Cup, Hyundai Motor plans to provide the largest fleet of official vehicles in tournament history.

Official vehicle support image for the Hyundai Motor Company FIFA World Cup 2026™ (AI-generated image). Hyundai Motor Company

Having maintained its official mobility partnership with FIFA for 27 years since 1999, Hyundai Motor will supply approximately 1,500 vehicles for this tournament, including 994 passenger cars and 506 buses.

The support fleet, consisting mainly of internal combustion engine and hybrid models such as Palisade, Santa Fe, Tucson, Kona, Avante (Elantra), and Creta, will be deployed across all 16 host cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, supporting the movement of national teams, tournament officials, operations staff, and media to ensure smooth operations.

Notably, since expanding its role as FIFA's official robotics partner in 2023, Hyundai Motor will, for the first time in partnership history, deploy four Boston Dynamics quadrupedal robots "Spot," moving beyond simply being a mobility provider to showcasing itself as an innovator in future mobility.

The Spot robots deployed for this World Cup will be officially handed over to the FIFA security team and will actively support on-site security, performing autonomous patrol and monitoring tasks at key locations such as the Dallas International Broadcast Center (IBC) and the New York/New Jersey Stadium.

From the middle of the tournament, Hyundai Motor's signature World Cup program, "Hyundai Goal of the Tournament," will be operated.

"Hyundai Goal of the Tournament" is a representative fan participation program that selects the best goal of the tournament through global fan voting during the World Cup. Since its launch at the 2006 Germany World Cup, it has continued to highlight memorable moments that have left a deep impression on football fans at every tournament.

Starting with this tournament, the voting method has been newly revamped. Instead of selecting a single winner through fan voting after the conclusion of the World Cup, the best goal will first be selected at the end of each group stage and knockout stage. After the final, a final fan vote will be held among these stage-winning goals to determine the tournament's best goal.

Through this change, Hyundai Motor aims to further expand opportunities for fan participation and strengthen communication with global football fans throughout the tournament period.

A Hyundai Motor official stated, "For the FIFA World Cup 2026™, we plan to present 'Next Starts Now' as a brand experience that connects the possibilities of next-generation football talent with future mobility and robotics technology," adding, "We will further expand our genuine sponsorship programs, which we have continued for 27 years as a FIFA World Cup partner, to provide new and meaningful experiences to football fans around the world."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.