What The Football! Nike’s ad for FIFA Women’s World Cup scores high on entertainment

Women’s sports is growing like never before. It is gaining more and more traction and building a larger audience day by day. Nike released a commercial that celebrates women’s football (soccer) ted players of the past and present ahead of the commencement of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The campaign is titled, ‘What The Football’ and is created and conceptualised by Nike’s long-term creative agency partner Wieden+Kennedy.

The commercial opens with the shot of a father and daughter sitting on the edge of their seats watching the iconic moment when former U.S football player Brandy Chastain scored the penalty kick that won the country the 1999 World Cup against China.

The father is seen mimicking Chastain’s celebration where she ripped off her shirt. While doing so, he accidentally slips on a banana peel (classic :)). The fall instantly transports him 24 years into the future. He wakes up from a coma to see a whole new world for women’s football, new players and newfound energy and enthusiasm towards the sport. His adult daughter catches him up on all the important moments in women’s football. She tells him about all the current female footballers and how skilled they are. The ad ends with a shot of the dad head emitting smoke after being overloaded with information. To finally blow the roof off, the daughter introduces the dad to his granddaughter.

The ad is comical, informative, intriguing and keeps you wanting more. Its brilliantly conceptualised and executed with distinct depictions of famous female footballers, easter eggs and a cameo by none other than Brandi Chastain in the future.

The players featured in the ad include Ada Hegerberg, Alex Morgan, Asisat Oshoala, Chloe Kelly, Debinha, Grace Geyoro, Kadeisha Buchanan, Megan Rapinoe, Sam Kerr, Sophia Smith and Wang Shuang.

Nike said that its World Cup ad underlines the brand’s dedication to serve and support female athletes.