Sir David Beckham is capitalizing on the controversial hydration breaks introduced in the current World Cup, a format change that has drawn criticism globally but presents a significant financial opportunity for the former England captain. Beckham, 51, is anticipated to earn approximately £19 million from a series of television advertisements airing throughout the 40-day tournament hosted in the United States.
American viewers have seen Beckham appear in numerous World Cup-themed commercials for major brands, including Pepsi, McDonald's, Lay's crisps, Stella Artois, Home Depot, Bank of America, Verizon, and Adidas. Advertisements featuring him were broadcast during pre-game shows, halftime, and notably, during the hydration breaks, according to reports. One image of Beckham in a VIP suite at Miami Stadium, where he helped secure $1 billion in financing, drinking from a wine glass, has circulated widely and contributed to enhancing his public image.
Professor Patrick Rishe, director of sports business at Washington University, estimated Beckham's earnings from World Cup advertisements alone to be around $25 million. Rishe highlighted Beckham's global celebrity, marketability, and broad appeal as key factors, calling him a "global marketing icon" who is "instantly recognisable, a gentleman and wholesome, yet still with sex appeal." The professor also noted that his marriage to a Spice Girl makes him a "safe bet for conservative advertisers."
This World Cup-related income adds to Beckham's existing endorsement portfolio, which is estimated to generate about £19 million annually. Forbes magazine reported earlier this year that the combined net worth of the Beckhams has reached £1.185 billion.
While his appearance in a McDonald's commercial is a more recent collaboration, most of his World Cup advertising efforts build upon long-standing brand partnerships. His lifetime deal with Adidas, initially signed in 2003, has already yielded an estimated £115 million. Earlier this year, he co-starred with actor Matt Damon in a Super Bowl commercial for Stella Artois.
Beckham's advertisements have placed him in various scenarios, such as smashing a football off a crossbar with Timothée Chalamet for Adidas, hitching a ride on a Lay's delivery truck with Will Ferrell, searching for a McDonald's World Cup collectible cup featuring his face, and protecting a glass of Stella Artois from enthusiastic fans. He also appeared in a commercial for Home Depot.
Beckham played in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cups before moving to the LA Galaxy in 2007, a move credited with significantly boosting soccer's profile in the United States. He later became a co-owner of Inter Miami in 2014 and was instrumental in the acquisition of Lionel Messi for Major League Soccer.
A representative for Beckham stated that the "USA 2026 was always going to be a strong platform for David and his partners."