Adidas x Nordstrom The Corner World Cup Takeover
The World’s Game, in the World’s City
For the 2026 World Cup, adidas transformed The Corner at Nordstrom NYC into a summer celebration of football, fashion and New York culture.
IMA developed an evolving programme of experiences, partnerships and content that gave consumers new reasons to visit throughout the tournament.
We started this project by creating an editorial campaign that placed adidas football product within the wider character of New York.
Shot across the city, the imagery reflected the individuality, style and how football is seeping into the streets of new york. We aimed to have it reflect the people and community and keeping it as authentic as possible.
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The campaign was brought together through a custom newspaper distributed across Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The paper had campaign imagery, partner stories, Nordstrom programming, World Cup schedules and tournament brackets, acting as both an editorial piece and a guide to the takeover.
Newsies distributed the newspaper across the city, creating a live street extension of the campaign.
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Campaign imagery appeared in the Sunday edition of The New York Times, alongside an OOH placement at Penn Station that remained in rotation throughout the tournament. Additionally, framed imagery was added to The Corner store walls as part of the spatial takeover.
The imagery was also adapted across social posts and stories, helping drive audiences back to The Corner and its weekly programme.
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The experience opened with a VIP event, welcoming guests into a space featuring floral jersey installations, custom pieces by Cossa Jerseys, campaign films, live entertainment and personalization.
The following day, the takeover opened to consumers with raffles, a photobooth, foosball, tattooing and additional interactive experiences.
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Each weekend spotlighted a different country participating in the World Cup.
IMA brought together local food, beverage and creative partners to create country-inspired programming, from sweets and snacks to hair ribbon styling, jersey upcycling, embroidery and heat-press customisation.
Live matches were screened in the lounge, creating a space where visitors could shop, watch and experience the tournament together.
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Thursday programming combined product discovery, cultural storytelling and consumer rewards.
Guests could visit a candy cart serving sweets from participating nations, receive mystery box keychains with purchase, receive limited edition artist tote bags and customise products at the heat press station.
An archive area also celebrated memorable moments from World Cup history, supported by raffles and rotating product stories.
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Creators were invited into the space throughout the programme to explore the installations, style product and capture content around key moments.
This extended the life of the physical takeover online, creating a continuous stream of social content that drove awareness and encouraged audiences to visit The Corner.
