MediaMarktSaturn launches International World Cup Campaign

Ingolstadt, May 7th, 2026

During a World Cup, rational behavior tends to take a back seat. Routines are disrupted, decisions become emotional, and everyday life revolves around the game. Going live on May 15, MediaMarktSaturn builds its new international campaign precisely on this phenomenon, transforming so-called “irrational” fan behavior into a unifying creative platform across Europe.

“The World Cup is one of the rare moments where people consciously put everyday logic aside,” says Michael Schuld, Chief Marketing Officer at MediaMarktSaturn. “With our campaign Sorry, but it’s World Cup, we move beyond traditional promotion-led communication and instead focus on a culturally relevant truth. We’re embracing emotional fan moments and show how technology enables them in a way that is connectable for everyone.”

A creative system built on a universal fan truth, presented by Jürgen Klopp

At the heart of the campaign lies a distinctive creative mechanism that turns everyday conflicts into storytelling: a recurring “non-apology” that humorously justifies the spontaneous excesses of football fandom.

This idea plays out across a series of hero films and supporting content formats, each built around the same narrative principle. Everyday situations that only happen once every four years when football takes priority: spontaneously upgrading to a bigger TV and BBQ, adding fridges for cool drinks in unexpected places, or paying more attention to the game on your phone than your partner during a romantic date. What begins as a moment of conflict is resolved with a consistent punchline: “Sorry, but it’s World Cup.”

The hero films can be found here, here, here & here.

Bringing the football expertise of the campaign full circle, the punchline is delivered by German coaching legend Jürgen Klopp, who is once again the face of the campaign.

From campaign idea to full-funnel execution

Designed as a full-funnel approach, the creative idea translates seamlessly into different touchpoints – from TV and digital to social media, audio, OOH and in-store experiences.

Different content mechanics, such as short, punchy brand statements for high-reach placements and longer, dialogue-driven storytelling for high-attention environments, ensure that the core idea remains effective across varying media contexts.

At the same time, the campaign allows for local adaptation in all participating markets while maintaining a consistent overarching narrative, making it a truly pan-European platform.

Strengthening “Experience Electronics” through cultural relevance

With this campaign, MediaMarktSaturn continues to evolve its positioning from a product-driven retailer to a customer-centric omnichannel platform. By embedding technology into real-life, emotionally charged moments, the company reinforces its ambition to create relevance beyond price and promotion.

Rather than focusing on individual deals, the campaign positions technology as an integral part of shared cultural experiences – bringing people together, enhancing emotional moments, and enabling participation in one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

The campaign will be rolled out across multiple European markets, from Germany to Spain or the Netherlands, and channels, including TV, digital, social media, OOH and in-store touchpoints.

Campaign assets including visuals and hero films are available for download here.