As Mexico prepares to take on South Africa in the opening game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup today (11 June), a handful of pharmaceutical companies are set to contribute off the pitch in what could be the biggest sporting event in history.
This year’s tournament is the first World Cup to be held in three different host nations – Canada, Mexico, and the US. New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco are amongst 11 cities in the US that will host matches, with the country hosting the majority of games.
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Combined with modelling by FIFA that the competition will be watched by six billion people – almost three-quarters of the world’s population, commercial strategy away from the stadiums will be under similarly close inspection as on-field football tactics.
Pharmaceutical players have already tapped into host-city partnerships to showcase the local life sciences ecosystem. Sanofi is collaborating with Boston 26, the official host city initiative for the World Cup. Massachusetts, of which Boston is the capital, is home to Sanofi’s largest US facility – a sprawling 900,000-square-foot campus that houses 2,500 employees. Across the state, the drugmaker has around 5,000 workers across manufacturing, R&D, and corporate operations.
Sanofi’s head of external engagement, Tanisha Sullivan, commented: “Massachusetts has always been a place where community and innovation intersect, and this partnership reflects our commitment to building on that legacy.
“As we approach America’s 250th anniversary, there’s no better moment to invest in an event that brings people together, strengthens local businesses, and creates lasting value across [Boston].”
Amgen has followed a similar strategy, partnering with the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC), which serves as the lead for the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee. The pharma company has been named as the official biotech partner of the group and is acting as an official host city supporter.
As part of its collaboration, Amgen said it promotes health, wellness, and community enhancement. It is investing in enhancing outdoor spaces, a youth football clinic series, preventative health resources, and local non-profit organisations.
Amgen was founded in a suburb of Los Angeles over forty years ago and has become a key cog in the region’s life sciences ecosystem. Its headquarters in greater Los Angeles benefitted from a $600m investment to build a new centre for science and innovation in September 2025.
US drug advertising back in the spotlight
The US is the only country besides New Zealand that allows direct advertising of prescription drugs to consumers. In the US, this has created a market worth billions of dollars for commercials via television, radio, and billboards, among others. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is not able to outright ban prescription drug advertisements, as this is prohibited under the First Amendment.
Given the size of the US audience set to watch the national team play on home soil, television commercial slots will be in high demand. According to a report by ADWEEK, the upper end of sponsorship packages, which typically go to FIFA official advertisers, could fetch up to $50m for English-language broadcaster Fox.
A partner at a US law firm tells Pharmaceutical Technology that the higher profile placements at the tournament will get greater post-air scrutiny from the FDA and Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) will be one of the drugmakers on show during the World Cup. Ahead of the tournament, the company launched its “Won’t Lose” campaign, which will feature narration from footballer Ali Krieger, who twice won the FIFA Women’s World Cup with the US. The initiative does not market a specific drug or present a disease, instead focusing on similar commitments shown by both athletes and scientists.
In the past year, however, direct-to-consumer pharma commercials have been in the regulatory crosshairs. In September 2025, President Donald Trump tasked the agency with clamping down on misleading ads from pharmaceutical companies. The political spotlight turned on drug advertising in the wake of a controversial advert aired by telehealth company Hims & Hers during another major sporting event – the 2025 Super Bowl final.
Soon after Trump’s directive, FDA commissioner Martin Makary – who has since left the role – described the state of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising as a “public health crisis” in the US, citing lax regulatory enforcement by the agency on pharmaceutical companies.
The laywer adds: “The most frequent FDA enforcement problems with broadcast drug ads involve claims to off-label efficacy or superiority claims that are suggested but not stated. The reputational damage that can be caused by a World Cup spot within weeks of being broadcasted can be amplified by the issuance of a warning letter by FDA.”
