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Nike has unveiled its latest World Cup commercial, and it’s absolutely packed with action – perhaps even too much of it.

Would a World Cup really feel complete without a Nike commercial to accompany it?

From the 1996 ‘Match in Hell’ to the 1998 Brazil squad’s airport magic, and the unforgettable Ronaldinho campaigns, the sportswear giant has consistently set the standard for memorable football advertisements.

This year’s edition continues that tradition, featuring not only present-day football stars but also legends from previous generations, athletes from other sports, fictional characters, and even a few A-list celebrities.

The six-minute-long ad unfolds with France taking on Spain, led by a stylishly permed and bespectacled manager in a black turtleneck cheering from the sidelines.

When Kylian Mbappe scores a stunning overhead kick into the top corner, the manager erupts in frustration, screaming “NO!”

The CGI stadium suddenly collapses, revealing that the “manager” is actually the ad’s director, who scolds Mbappe for improvising and demands, “Just head the ball, with your head!”

Mbappe appears unimpressed and exchanges exasperated looks with fellow Nike athletes Bruno Fernandes, Vinicius Jr, and Jamal Musiala, the latter complaining about the shoot dragging on and pointing to the director as the reason.

Then, a Kardashian makes an appearance on set just as Nico Williams starts dribbling past everyone, much to the director’s dismay. As more players join in, chaos ensues. Security is summoned, only for Vinicius to glide past them effortlessly, sending them crashing into walls. Erling Haaland, meanwhile, stands apart, refusing to join the madness.

The action continues behind the scenes, with Mbappe and Williams bursting into a TV studio where commentator Kate Scott is hosting. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, one of her pundits, follows them out in pursuit of the ball.

The chase moves through an ad set labelled ‘Croydon, 1995’ — a nod to Eric Cantona’s infamous kung-fu kick — featuring Cantona himself delivering his iconic “when seagulls follow the trawler” speech from a fishing boat.

The ball then interrupts a corporate meeting between two executives, Cristiano Ronaldo, and LeBron James, before crashing onto an action movie set. In a bizarre twist, Ronaldo charges into a building after the stray ball, which then explodes. Virgil van Dijk yells, “Why won’t you just die,” though the ending of the line is cut off for obvious reasons.

After a brief cameo by World Cup absentee Cole Palmer, the chaos returns to the original green screen set, where Jason Sudeikis, in his Ted Lasso persona, pops up asking what’s being filmed amid the pandemonium.

All the players then charge onto the pitch, chasing the ball. A rabona cross from Vinicius sparks a wild scramble, ending with a young kid about to meet the ball… until Haaland leaps over him, executes a magnificent bicycle kick, and kisses the camera. The screen cuts to the Nike logo and the tagline “Rip the Script.”

It’s undeniably a lot to take in, and it remains unclear how Nike plans to condense the sprawling six-minute epic into the typical three-and-a-half-minute ad slots during the tournament.

Chances are, the full-length version will rarely air on television, with shorter cuts released throughout the World Cup.

The ad is bursting with ideas — perhaps to the point of overindulgence when watched in one go.

It recalls the criticism (and praise) aimed at Space Jam 2 — a film said to cater to viewers with an attention span of just 1.5 seconds. “Don’t like this bit? Don’t worry, there’s something completely different coming next.”

There’s a touch of that here too: while the central theme stays consistent, the relentless stream of cameos and pop-culture nods can feel a bit excessive, as though Nike didn’t quite trust the audience to stick with a single strong concept.

That said, this is very much in sync with modern advertising and entertainment trends.

However, this approach might affect its long-term legacy. When someone mentions “airport,” everyone instantly recalls that Brazil advert — simple, cohesive, and iconic. It took just one word to evoke it. This one, by contrast, takes 444 words to summarise.

That makes it difficult to pinpoint a single lasting image from this year’s campaign, simply because there’s so much happening.

Nonetheless, it’s energetic, visually stunning, and crowd-pleasing — there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Ultimately, does it get us hyped for the World Cup? Yes. Does it make Nike look cool? Absolutely. Mission accomplished.

Four and a half star wipes. You heard it here first.