Beckham Tops Celebrity Earners as World Cup 2026 Fuels Star Endorsements
The 2026 World Cup has produced a commercial windfall far beyond the pitch, and according to The Sun, David Beckham stands out as the tournament's biggest off-field winner. Analysts estimate the former England captain has earned around £19 million (roughly 668 billion Vietnamese dong) from advertising deals struck around the competition, underlining how sport's biggest stage can still be monetised long after a playing career ends.
At 51, Beckham remains a constant presence in campaigns for Bank of America, Lay's, Home Depot, McDonald's, Stella Artois and Adidas, with his image dominating television ad breaks throughout the tournament. The Beckham family's broader media pull has only added to this; alongside the football itself, global audiences have followed what Victoria Beckham and the couple's children wore in the stands and which fashion trends they set daily. It's a reminder that commercial success in modern sport often runs on parallel tracks, much like when reports of team falcons win at IEM Cologne 2026 showed how esports organisations can also capture global attention and lucrative rewards through high-profile competition. team falcons win
Music Stars Cash In Alongside Football's Biggest Names
Beckham's continued marketability, The Sun notes, reflects his enduring commercial appeal even years removed from professional football. He currently holds a stake in Inter Miami, and his combined net worth with Victoria Beckham is estimated at roughly £1.185 billion (about 41.707 trillion VND). Shakira ranks second on the earners list, with estimated proceeds of £15 million (around 528 billion VND), after appearances at both the opening ceremony and the closing halftime show boosted global streaming numbers for her music. Her performance of "Dai Dai" alongside Burna Boy, delivered in front of a packed stadium and a worldwide television audience, capped four tournament appearances that reinforced her long-standing association with football's showpiece event.
Justin Bieber is estimated to have earned £12 million (about 422.4 billion VND) from World Cup-related activity, with The Sun crediting the tournament for exposing him to audiences well beyond his established global fanbase. His acoustic rendition of "Everything Hallelujah," performed live for more than 80,000 spectators, was widely seen as a standout moment. Timothée Chalamet earned the same amount through his prominent role in Adidas's pre-tournament and in-tournament campaign, and was handed the symbolic task of carrying the match ball onto the pitch before the Spain-Argentina final - a moment witnessed by the stadium crowd and billions watching worldwide.
From K-pop to Reality TV, Brands Chase a Global Audience
Lisa of Blackpink reportedly earned close to £9 million (about 316.8 billion VND) from contracts and promotional work tied to the tournament, with commentators describing her as bringing the energy of the K-pop community to football's largest stage. Her appearance before the United States-Paraguay group-stage match helped introduce K-pop to a new sporting audience, further amplifying a profile FIFA had already helped elevate internationally.
Kim Kardashian emerged as one of the list's more unexpected entries, earning an estimated £8 million (about 281.6 billion VND) by placing her brand across prominent advertising slots throughout the competition. Madonna, meanwhile, earned roughly £4 million (about 140.8 billion VND) for her halftime performance at the final alongside Brazilian football legends Ronaldo Nazário and Ronaldinho - a pairing of music and football royalty that, at 67, reaffirmed her global drawing power. Brooklyn Beckham reportedly received $1 million for a DoorDash advert referencing family tension, while Susan Boyle's appearance in a Scottish soft-drink campaign for Irn-Bru, estimated at £500,000 (about 17.6 billion VND), unexpectedly reached a global audience that outstripped several bigger World Cup names.
