In a historic first for the brand, Billboard this week launched the Billboard Global World Cup Series, an unprecedented editorial franchise that brings together the worlds of music and soccer ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Dedicating global covers to music and sports for the first time in Billboard history, the 11-cover series leverages Billboard’s global platform to spotlight key soccer players and artists from 11 countries to celebrate the cultural energy, talent and influence surrounding the world’s biggest sporting event.
The series launched on the US edition of Billboard and featured US Men’s National Team player Miles Robinson alongside rapper and actor Joey Bada$$. In the cover story, the two connect over discipline, ambition, and performance, swapping pitch and studio stories and engaging in lively penalty shots and push-up contests in between.
“Sports have a rhythm and a beat, and that’s why it’s always so easy to put music over a sports montage, because you can see the excitement the same way you feel the excitement in the song,” Bada$$ said.
In the lead-up to this month’s FIFA World Cup, which will be held on U.S. soil for the first time since 1994, the Billboard Global World Cup Series reflects the scale and importance of the world’s most-watched sporting event. Through original photography, video, and editorial storytelling, each edition features conversations with prominent local athletes and musicians, capturing the unique relationship between sport, sound, and national identity. The 11 countries participating in the series are the United States, Colombia, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Georgia, France, Canada, South Korea, and Vietnam.
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