Michelob ULTRA wanted to showcase their dedication to soccer in the USA by making a massive investment in becoming the official beer sponsor of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, and 2026 FIFA World Cup. And, partnering with the greatest of all time, Lionel Messi. Anheuser Busch came to Momentum with the request to “bring fans closer to the action” through exclusive experiences and offers throughout both competitions.
Through this, the Pitchside Club was born. A space in the heart of NYC the final week of the 2025 Club World Cup for fans to get closer to the spirit of the tournament - through live shows with Men in Blazers, influencer and player appearances, and jersey giveaways in collaboration with Hypebeast, and of course… complimentary Michelob ULTRAs to enjoy throughout the experience.
My role was related to another engagement onsite, where we gave fans the chance to play a game against a virtual Lionel Messi in a game called G.O.A.T. In partnership with Active Theory, we designed the G.O.A.T challenge. Where participants were challenged to mimic Messi’s tricks to earn letters. Miss a move, and you miss a letter. Complete all four moves, and you achieve GOAT status.
The technology lived in a large, box unit that sat flush with the wall. The hardware needed was simply an 85 inch monitor, a webcam, a Mac Mini, and a speaker bar. With this, the experience was triggered by the guest via a wave to Messi through motion tracking. Once the experience was in motion, tricks were performed (similar to HORSE in basketball) to get a letter for each successful trick, and at the end guests would scan a QR code and receive a video output to share on social. The experience was roughly 5 minutes per guest.
The experience was a hit on site, with traffic being so steady throughout the weekend, we had to create a reservation system to keep the traffic flowing effectively in the space.
Over 650 attendees played the game during the week, with high level Anheuser Busch c-suite executives swinging through the space, and influencers also playing the game to generate content.
