Following one of the most controversial, commercially significant and exciting FIFA World Cups in history, Brand Finance Football 50 2026 reveals who really won — and who lost — off the pitch.
The US-led 2026 World Cup marked a turning point for football, accelerating its shift towards a more commercial, global and entertainment-driven model. Join us as we unpack the latest Football 50 findings, revealing the world’s most valuable and strongest football club brands and what the data tells us about sponsorship performance and commercial value.
We’ll also turn the spotlight to Argentina and the Argentine Football Association (AFA), joined by Leandro Petersen, former Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer of AFA, and Argentine journalist Bruno Vain, to explore how sporting success, global expansion and commercial strategy have helped build one of football’s most powerful brands.
Together with senior voices from football and sponsorship, we’ll ask: Do major tournaments deliver meaningful returns? How should sponsors measure impact? And how can brands turn global attention into lasting value?
| 16:30 – 17:00 | Registration & Networking |
| 17:00 – 17:10 |
Welcome: Football’s New Commercial Era |
| 17:10 – 17:25 |
Football 50 2026: The Brands That Won - and Lost - Beyond the Pitch |
| 17:25 - 17:55 |
Behind the Badge: How the AFA Became a Global Brand - Leandro Petersen, Founder & CEO, TAI; Former Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer, |
| 17:55 - 18:35 | Panel Discussion | The Power of the Game: How Football Brands Create Global Commercial Value Guest Speakers TBC - Moderated by Scott Moore, Head of Sports Services, Brand Finance |
| 18:35 – 18:45 |
The Bottom Line: What the Data Tells Us About Football’s Future |
| 18:45 – 19:30 | Drinks Reception |
Leandro Petersen is an executive, entrepreneur and international speaker with more than 20 years of experience across marketing, commercial development, sports management and brand building.
From 2017 to 2026, he served as Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), leading its commercial and marketing strategy through a period of significant transformation and international expansion. His work helped develop AFA and the Argentina national team into a global brand and commercial platform, expanding its international presence, sponsorship ecosystem and opportunities across licensing, content, experiences and new markets.
In 2026, Petersen founded TAI (Think. Act. Inspire.), a company connecting brands with sport, entertainment and culture through strategy, creativity and business development. He is also an international speaker on brand transformation, leadership, sports marketing, commercial growth and international expansion.
Bruno Vain is a multifaceted TV host and sports presenter. Currently he works for Apple TV where he is one of the main playby-play broadcasters for MLS, including Lionel Messi\\\'s Inter Miami matches.
Bruno began his career in Argentina in the 90\\\'s, where he gained popularity through \\\"La Magia de Ila NBA\\\", a weekly NBA show recognized by the NBA as one of the top productions among the more than 150 countries where it distributes its content. One of the main anchors at DirecTV Latin America, Bruno has been an integral part of the network\\\'s coverage of major events such as FIFA World Cup 2018 from Russia, FIBA World Cup 2019 from China, Summer 2016 Olympics from Rio de Janeiro and Copa America Centenario 2016 from the US. Bruno was also among DirecTV Sports main anchors & studio hosts for the network\\\'s coverage of 2014 FIFA World Cup from Brazil and basketball\\\'s 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup from Spain.
Since joining DirecTV Sports in 2007, Bruno also hosted the network\\\'s coverage of Summer 2012 Olympics from London, FIFA World Cup 2010 from South Africa, FIBA World Cup 2010 from Turkey, Under 20 FIFA World Cup 2011 from Colombia, numerous NBA Finals, and 2011 FIBA Americas Championship from Argentina, among many others.
Bruno has also anchored DirecTV Sports coverage of Premier League, La Liga and NBA. His Premier League expertise includes over 9 seasons of play-by-play plus anchoring \\\"La Previa de la Premier League\\\" and \\\"Lo Mejor de la Premier League\\\". Bruno was an integral part of some of DirecTV\\\'s major milestones, such as its first live HD broadcast for Latin America at \\\"El Clasico\\\", Barcelona vs Real Madrid. Combining his experience at GolTV and DirecTV Latin America, Bruno has narrated over 7 seasons of La Liga matches, which coincided with the arrival and development of Lionel Messi at Barcelona
David is the Chairman of Brand Finance Plc – the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. He has worked in the area of branded business, brand, and intangible asset valuation since 1991. He specialised entirely in the field after becoming the Director of Brand Valuation for Interbrand in 1995. He subsequently left Interbrand in 1996 to launch Brand Finance which is celebrating 25 years in business this year.
David represented the British Standards Institution in the working parties responsible for crafting international industry standards: ISO 10668 on Brand Valuation in 2010 and ISO 20671 on Brand Evaluation in 2019.
David is a passionate writer and has authored many articles on brand valuation, published in numerous marketing and finance newspapers and magazines, such as: Financial Times, Accountancy Age, and Marketing Week. He has also lectured on the topic of brand valuation for Harvard, Chicago, and London Business Schools.
David graduated from Bristol University with an English degree, qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in London, and obtained a postgraduate diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). He is a Fellow of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and has a practising certificate with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
Scott specialises in sports sponsorship consultancy for corporate brands and rightsholders; encompassing brand valuation, business impact modelling, sponsorship strategy and sponsorship return on investment.
Scott is part of Brand Finance's Sports Services team, supporting on sports-specific projects and the Football 50 league tables. The team actively engage project teams to provide and execute bespoke bolt-on and/or independent sports services for existing clients who have a sports sponsorship portfolio.
Previous experience across sports and entertainment sponsorship has involved notable clients including PepsiCo (UEFA), British Gas (BOA/BPA, SRU), Vodafone (Wimbledon), Compare the Market (ECB), Activision Blizzard and BAFTA.
Scott holds a BSc in Management from the London School of Economics and a MSc in Sport Policy, Management & International Development from the University of Edinburgh.
