1,500 vehicles to support FIFA World Cup 2026; Spot robots deployed for first time

Son Heung-min, Atlas humanoid robot featured in campaign film

Key scenes from Hyundai Motor Co's FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign film, "The Future Starts Now." [Hyundai Motor Co]
Key scenes from Hyundai Motor Co's FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign film, "The Future Starts Now." [Hyundai Motor Co]

Hyundai Motor Co announced Monday it is launching a global brand campaign titled "The Future Starts Now" ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, combining a vision for next-generation football with the company's future mobility ambitions.

The company released the main campaign film earlier this month carrying the message that "the future is not something you wait for, but something you create starting right now." Produced under Hyundai Motor's brand vision of "Progress for Humanity," the film blends the journeys of young football prospects with the company's mobility innovations.

The film also features Hyundai Motor global brand ambassador Son Heung-min and Atlas, the humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics, a robotics subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group. Son appears as a legendary figure inspiring the next generation and motivating young players to pursue growth, while Atlas represents Hyundai Motor's robotics technology vision.

Hyundai Motor plans to deliver the campaign message to football fans in approximately 180 countries through television, digital platforms and social media.

As the official mobility partner of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Hyundai Motor is also significantly expanding its sponsorship program. In step with the largest World Cup in history, the company will provide a record 1,500 vehicles to support the movement of national teams, tournament officials, operations staff and media across 16 host cities in the three host nations — the United States, Canada and Mexico. The fleet comprises 994 passenger cars, including the Palisade, Santa Fe, Tucson, Kona, Avante and Creta, along with 506 buses.

Hyundai Motor is also expanding its use of robotics technology at the tournament. Having served as FIFA's official robotics partner since 2023, the company will for the first time in the partnership's history deploy four of Boston Dynamics' four-legged robots, Spot, at a World Cup. FIFA's security team will take charge of the robots, which will conduct autonomous patrol and monitoring operations at key facilities including the Dallas International Broadcast Center and New York/New Jersey Stadium.

The fan engagement program "Hyundai Goal of the Tournament" is also getting a revamp. Running since the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, the program lets fans vote for the best goal of the tournament. Starting this edition, the best goal from each stage — the group phase and each knockout round — will be selected first, with a final fan vote after the championship match to determine the overall winner.

"For the FIFA World Cup 2026, we will present the potential of next-generation football talent, future mobility and the world that robotics technology will create through the brand experience of 'The Future Starts Now,'" a Hyundai Motor official said. "As a FIFA World Cup partner for 27 years, we will further expand our genuine sponsorship programs to deliver new and meaningful experiences to football fans around the world."


eyre@heraldcorp.com