Tap In Studio: FIFA World Cup 2026

How can Visa bring football fans together to unleash fandom around the FIFA World Cup 26™, with an experience that inspires and empowers them to become more of the fan they want to be?

By turning fans and players into creators, with four pop-up experiences that made celebrating the combined worlds of football and art as simple as a tap in.

The Visa Tap In Studio offered fans in the US, Mexico and Canada an opportunity to win a trip to the final by stepping up to the spot, testing their skills and taking their best shot, before turning them into a unique digital artwork.

Working in collaboration with more than 20 artists from six continents, the experience built on Visa’s wider Tap In campaign to bring the simplicity of tapping your card to life while celebrating the diversity of football fandom across cultures.

Knowing that FIFA World Cup 26™ was going to be the biggest fan-driven economy to date, Visa wanted to create a unique experience that would break down barriers and bring football fans from around the world together to celebrate the beautiful game in ways that would help the brand stand out in an overly saturated market.

Empowering fans to take the small steps from passive spectator to active creator

We know that fandom is not passive. It’s a performance in itself. Increasingly, fans are looking for ways to feel like they’re a part of the action, not just a spectator on the sidelines. With that in mind, we wanted to create an experience that made it easier than ever for fans to ‘tap in’ to their passion for the sport, by becoming an active participant. The Visa Tap In Studio did just that, by challenging fans to take a shot at a series of targets in order to have their World Cup moment immortalised in a digital souvenir they could then customise and share online for the world to see.

Activating at the intersections of football, art and creativity

From the hype of kit launches and new ball designs to players collaborating with creators on content and fashion, the intersection where the worlds of football, art and creativity collide has and always will be at the heart of modern fan culture. So, when Visa commissioned more than 20 artists from six continents to create visual representations of football fandom in their home countries, we spotted an opportunity to tap into wider cultural nuances beyond the pitch. Working with the artists featured in Visa’s Global Art Collection, we gave fans an opportunity to become a part of the art, by choosing which artwork they wanted to use and customise as the backdrop to their digital souvenir.

Enabling fans to unleash their fandom in every host country

The Visa Tap In Studio inspired thousands of UGC uploads and engagement, with four simultaneous pop-ups in four separate locations: USA House in Venice Beach Los Angeles, BMO Field, Toronto Canada, Azteca Stadium in Mexico City and Metlife Stadium in New Jersey. With the campaign lasting just over a month, we opened the gates on day one of the tournament and continued to entertain fans through to the final. Our teams on the ground worked closely with local suppliers, to ensure we championed the cultural nuances of each location and activated in accordance with the guidelines and legal requirements of each country for a seamless campaign.

For the audience

The Visa Tap In Studio gave 12,918 fans a one-of-a-kind experience during the largest football tournament the world has ever seen, and one they would never forget thanks to the 186,956 digital souvenirs they customised, created and shared with the world. But, more than that, the Visa Tap In Studios gave four fans the chance to win a trip to the FIFA World Cup 26™ final, to experience a cultural moment like no other.

For the brand

The Visa Tap In Studio inspired and enabled fans from across the world to become an active part of the FIFA World Cup 26™, in ways that reinforced the idea that the easiest way to pay throughout the tournament is by tapping in with Visa. As an integral part of the wider Tap In campaign, we helped the brand to drive a 12% tap-to-pay surge across the tournament by helping every fan at every stage of their journey to progress forward in ways that inspired incremental transactions and spend.