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Key Takeaways:
- Pepsi celebrates 50 years of football ads by bringing together legends like Pelé and Beckham with today’s top women athletes.
- “Refresh the Game” recreates classic Pepsi football moments, with scenes like Ronaldinho’s beach battle and Pelé’s 1974 spot reimagined through the talents.
- Pepsi commits to growing women’s football globally through its renewed UEFA partnership, showing long-term investment in inclusivity and cultural representation.
Pepsi just rewrote history in a single football flick.
The soda giant has launched its latest campaign uniting football icons from across generations and genders to celebrate the brand’s 50-year legacy in the sport.
The star-studded "Refresh the Game" is marked by a hero spot that reimagines Pepsi’s most iconic football moments with a new generation at the forefront.
The latest brand film was creatively led by London-based football media company Copa90. It features current superstars like:
- Alexia Putellas
- Lauren James
- Leah Williamson
- Caroline Graham Hansen
- Farah Jefry
These players are accompanied by legends of the sport and the Pepsi ad universe, including:
- Pelé
- David Beckham
- Ronaldinho
"To be 'playing' with the legendary Pelé, even in a fictional game, is an opportunity I never thought possible," Putellas said in a press release.
“I hope this film helps ignite that kind of motivation in young athletes everywhere.”
Pepsi has long been known for producing memorable, star-powered football ads.
This ranges from Pelé’s debut with the brand in the '70s to Beckham’s cowboy duel and Ronaldinho’s beach football scene.
This new campaign takes those moments and hands the ball to the women who are now defining the sport.
"At Pepsi we are committed to accelerating women's football, supporting those who challenge conventions to drive excitement and change," Cathy Graham Kidd, Pepsi's senior marketing director, shared.
"Pepsi has always been about refreshing and reinventing the status quo — whether it's through our products or partnerships — and this campaign is a celebration of that."
By reviving iconic brand moments through a modern lens, Pepsi shows how a strong marketing strategy can turn nostalgia into a platform for rising talent.
It's a challenge creative agencies should approach as both an opportunity and a responsibility.
When Legacy Meets the Future
The one-minute campaign film is nothing short of callbacks.
It kicks off in a press conference where the modern-day athletes are suddenly transported through time to classic Pepsi football scenes.
Each of these scenes are then remade with today’s stars.
One scene mirrors the 1974 “Join the Pepsi Generation” spot, where Pelé lobs a pass to Putellas, who rainbow flicks the ball past a defender.
Another revisits 2005’s "Surfers" ad, as Ronaldinho and Graham Hansen exchange passes over ocean waves before Leah Williamson volleys the ball toward Pepsi’s signature cooler.
These reimagined moments close with a return to the present, where the players crack open cold cans of Pepsi.
The campaign is global in scale, with local athletes like Signe Bruun (Denmark), Nadine Riesen (Switzerland), and Stina Blackstenius (Sweden) making appearances across regional cuts.
And it doesn't stop here. Pepsi is backing its message with long-term action.
The brand has renewed its support for UEFA Women's Football through 2030, pledging to help push the sport to new heights.
Overall, I think “Refresh the Game” effectively uses nostalgia marketing to shine the spotlight on women in football, which builds brand purpose and affinity.
It’s a bold statement that the future of football is already here, and women are most certainly part of it.
"We're witnessing a new generation of sporting superstars, and it's been an honour to feature alongside them.
The players in this campaign have played a pivotal role in getting women's football to where it is today," Beckham said.
Meanwhile, Pepsi recently brought back its "Thirsty for More" platform starring the legendary midfielder himself.
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