Leagues Cup 2026 // Time to Shine

This was my first production to creative direct, start to finish, and I couldn’t be more proud of the result, internally and externally. You can find the full case study and KPIs below the video, but the best part for me was how stoked the entire team, client and creative, was on our work at every step.

After three years of experience with this client and a chance to finally take the reins, this was a true passion project for me. I brought a deep understanding of Leagues Cup’s internal pain points, approval chains, and budget realities; was able to adeptly forecast and mitigate pre- and post-production issues; and deliver an impactful result for the client and our business.

If we ever talk shop, ask about this one. It’s an all-time favorite.

Challenges

For Leagues Cup’s fourth year, our client needed to move strategically and cost-effectively. The 2026 edition of the annual intercontinental showdown between Liga MX and MLS — now with a refreshed format and matches in Mexico (!) for the first time — would be coming fresh on the heels of North America’s World Cup hosting duties.

This presented both a challenge and an opportunity. To fully leverage the summer of soccer, we needed an eye-catching concept that nailed the messaging — intriguing yet believable for audiences old and new — and could be executed on the tournament’s smallest production budget, yet.

Solutions

To accommodate the smaller budget, we pitched two concepts that would require a small production and two that would not and instead lean on found footage and recycled B-roll.

The winning idea was a Foosball concept that stoked the client so much they found budget to accommodate a production our team could execute here in Portland, Oregon.

The art direction was anchored by our iconic void, established in previous years of the tournament’s marketing campaigns. Living in that void, we included pops of detail nodding to the Mexican, US and Canadian national team identities, while connecting them with their respective domestic leagues.

We tapped local Letterpress printer and scale-model builder Bruce Paulson to hand-paint a complete set of foosballers representing each of the 36 clubs participating in LC26. To house them, we got a pro-level foosball table professionally wrapped with Leagues Cup 26 branding, with one side standing in for Liga MX, the other MLS. We designed and printed kits inspired by each league for our talent, so every visual element hung together thematically. To lend some legitimacy to the proceedings, we brought on the owner of Portland’s own Foster Foosball to direct our talent on proper foosball etiquette and natural play and execute some of the more difficult foosball skills for the cameras.

There’s something to be said for walking away from a 6-month-long journey with nothing but good vibes all around. We steam-rolled production speed bumps from years past by working strategically: fewer highlight swap-outs, no late surprises, just a solid concept the client asked for more of with each rev of the edit. And the results speak for themselves:

2377% increase in impression YOY, 31% increase vs 2025 hero spot

850% increase in engagements YOY; 105% increase vs 2025 hero spot

534% engagements vs target

Increased views on LeaguesCup.com/Tickets 287% YOY (same week)