At the time of publish, we are 3 weeks away from the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar. Normally at this stage we’re at the height of World Cup excitement; fans are excited about team selections, journalists are reporting from training camps and tabloids are on WAG watch…

This year is very different. Nearly all lead-up stories have been negative; covering the human rights issues, corruption, timing and infrastructure problems.

What does this mean for the huge World Cup audience? How does this affect the associated brand sponsors? Are there the same news-jacking opportunities for non-official partners?

I interview one the world’s leading experts in sports marketing and brand partnerships; Andy Sutherden to find out.

The former head of International Brand Consulting at CAA (Creative artists agency) and ex global head of sport partnerships and marketing at H&K Strategies, helps us navigate the change in comms strategy, reputation, activation and measurement of one of the most controversial worlds cups in history.

Our interview covers;

• The benefits and pitfalls of the £50billion Sponsorship industry
• How you should prepare for crisis around this & future World Cups
• The Danish sponsor Hummel’s shirt launch & the conflicting stories that have been buried around it
  Plus
• Andy shares his prediction on why several coincidences around this tournament may have set a new template for all future World Cups

Whether you’re working on a World Cup campaign now, thinking of using it as a hook or just into the game, brands and fans this episode is for you!