Is summer a dead season for media buyers? Ha-ha-ha! Not this time. Hope you have prepared your budgets for one of the hottest events of 2025: the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, taking place from June 15 to July 13.
It’s completely different from any previous edition: more teams, more games, more traffic. So, it’s not a ‘maybe’, it’s a must, and we’ll explain to you why right away.
Why Bother About the FIFA Club World Cup?
…when the real FIFA World Cup isn’t until 2026? Because everything is not like it was before, and we will witness a completely new, revamped championship.While historically, the fans haven’t shown a huge interest in the event, that might be completely different now, as the new format has caused much curiosity.
Here is what has changed:
- It’s now 32 teams. The old format had just 7 clubs, and now it is a big tournament comparable to the FIFA World Cup. It means more matches and more iGaming traffic from a much wider number of GEOs, including Europe, Latin America, Africa, and more.
- It’s free broadcasting. Thanks to a partnership with DAZN, the FIFA Club World Cup will have all matches streamed globally for free for the first time. The streaming will be available both on TV and online, which might boost the number of Internet viewers.
- It’s summer! The previous editions of the FIFA Club World Cup took place in December, when the competition is usually high enough: marketers rush to spend the rest of their annual budgets, and let’s not forget Christmas. Meanwhile, summer is not so packed with holiday madness and overall advertising buzz.
- It’s the USA. And it’s the first time the FIFA Club World Cup takes place on American soil. What does it mean? Right, a huge audience of top-quality 1st-tier U.S. fans in a country where iGaming and fan-sport are available in major states. Even those who haven’t been real soccer enthusiasts might develop an interest when matches come to their motherland.
- It’s a drama. The new contest format implies that matchups between favorites and underdogs will happen right away. So, small clubs will get a chance to play against giants like Real Madrid – and this might mean some exciting and unexpected outcomes. Furthermore, even the top team can lose if they have a bad day because the biggest players might be somewhat exhausted after a gaming season.
Are There Any Challenges?
We can’t predict 100% success for the upcoming event: this will be the first time the tournament runs in this new format, so we’re missing actual data to compare. It definitely has massive potential, but there are a few small things that can affect how it actually performs with viewers and traffic.- Bigger injury risks. Not for us! (Luckily, media buyers don’t pull hamstrings during matches.) But players might. After 50+ games this season, some stars could skip matches, and if they do, fan interest might drop. Or maybe not. Who knows?
- Specific time zone. We mentioned that the USA as a host country was a perk, but it might also create an issue: there’s a chance the key matches can air at awkward times for Europe and Asia. As a result, the global audience we are all relying on might shrink a little.
What Should Media Buyers Do?
Run ads, of course! We created ready guidelines that answer the top popular questions you might have.Which Verticals to Focus On?
Traditionally, sporting events are about iGaming, so of course, you must go for it. Here is our detailed guide on how to run iGaming traffic:However, it’s not the only option. Besides, there are two more big verticals with huge potential during the FIFA Club World Cup:
eCommerce. People spend more time online during big matches, so their ad engagement will also grow. You can read more about eCommerce offers in our guide.
Mobile apps. Utilities like VPNs, eCommerce, or sports-related apps also show growth during big events. Look at how to run traffic for apps.
Which Formats to Use?
Of course, you can try anything – we don’t want to limit you. However, our experience and statistics found out two winners:- Popunder. Popunders are a proven method for iGaming, especially when you need to hook the user super quickly and don’t have time for foreplay.
- Telegram Mini Apps. Traffic from TMA shows even quicker results than Popunder: it has a huge iGaming audience at lower prices, and can help you hit your offer’s ROI almost instantly.
What Creatives to Prepare?
The new iGaming trend is driving traffic directly to the site instead of pre-landers: it’s exactly the case where a shorter funnel works better. If you run other verticals, you might want to opt for a longer funnel.What does it mean? Right, you don’t need to build a landing page. And, if you run Popunder ads, you don’t need other creatives either: only accurate targeting, whitelisting, and bidding.
However, if you picked other formats, for example, Telegram Ads, you will still require creatives. What works now?
- Generic creatives offering bonuses (still a cash cow, but be careful: showing a bonus amount is not allowed in some GEOs). Here’s what it might look like in a Telegram Mini App:
- Relevant event-themed ads are also worth testing, and don’t forget to adapt them for each GEO.
- New, unusual options to stand out from the crowd and reveal what your audience really wants.
Note from PropellerAds: Always test. We know you are aware, but a kind reminder never kills a party, right?
