September 2026 – The Mídia’s Cup 2026, the largest 7-a-side football tournament in Brazil’s advertising industry, kicks off on September 3. Organised by the Grupo de Mídia de São Paulo (GMSP), the tournament provides an exciting environment for competition and camaraderie among professionals from Brazil’s communications industry. This year’s edition features 11 Media Partners: SBT, TNT Sports, Mega Mídia OOH, Terra, BGC, 365Scores, BTN, Grupo GC2, XSports, ZapMedia and LOI. Lance! also joins the tournament as a supporter.
Since its first edition 22 years ago, the Mídia’s Cup has become one of the highlights of the entertainment calendar for advertising professionals, bringing together representatives from across the industry for a highly competitive yet enjoyable tournament, both on the pitch and among the supporters. Beyond promoting healthy competition, the event also provides an excellent opportunity to bring media professionals closer together, strengthening integration and friendships across the industry.
The championship structure remains unchanged, with 16 teams divided into the Gold Series and Silver Series. However, Mídia’s Cup 2026 introduces several new features. For this edition, Grupo de Mídia drew inspiration from the Kings League, with each match featuring a special challenge or attraction. These may include a women’s 3-vs-3 competition, penalty shootouts between members of agency leadership teams, and a “Captain’s Goal Counts Double” challenge. Agencies with the highest participation in GMSP courses and/or those that hire professionals trained through the course developed in partnership between Grupo de Mídia SP and SoulCode will earn the right to choose the challenge.
Thiago Kanada, Media Director at W+K, member of Grupo de Mídia and one of those responsible for organising the event, explains: “Bringing the Education pillar into the Mídia’s Cup is a major differentiator for this edition. In addition to encouraging agency participation, we want to promote the development and professional qualification of Grupo de Mídia professionals.”
Another new feature is that five matches from the championship will be broadcast live on GMSP’s YouTube channel. Matches scheduled for September 10 and 17, during the first round, as well as the semifinals on November 24 and December 1, will be streamed in partnership with XSports. The grand final, scheduled for December 5, will also be broadcast live on GMSP’s YouTube channel, this time in partnership with TNT Sports.
In addition to the live broadcasts, the championship will be covered through Grupo de Mídia de São Paulo’s Instagram account. Through a partnership with 365Scores, audiences will also be able to follow results, standings and tournament statistics in real time.
For Felipe Reis, Senior Client Partner at Spotify, member of Grupo de Mídia and one of those responsible for the event, the broadcasts are essential to expanding the reach of the Mídia’s Cup. “In the last edition, we recorded more than 10,000 views, a result that demonstrates the tournament’s potential to engage the industry in the digital environment as well. This year, we want to expand that reach even further,” he says.
According to Dante Mennichelli, Agency Partner at TikTok, member of Grupo de Mídia’s board and also responsible for the tournament, the Mídia’s Cup is the most democratic event in the industry. “Both on and off the pitch, there is strong integration among people at every level within the agencies, in an atmosphere of healthy competition. There are also several activations throughout each round, making the tournament an important moment of connection among participating professionals,” he says.
Mídia’s Cup 2026 matches will take place from Tuesdays through Thursdays at Soccer Grass Arenas, located at Avenida Guido Caloi, 701, in São Paulo. Matches will always begin at 8:30 p.m. and are expected to finish at around 11 p.m.
The Championship
The tournament features 16 teams from advertising agencies divided between the Gold Series and Silver Series. Under the competition format, all teams will play within their respective series, earning points throughout the championship.
The teams competing in the Gold Series in 2026 are WMcCann, Publicis, Essence, BETC Havas, WE, Ogilvy, Galeria and Talent. The Silver Series consists of Africa, VML, Omnicom, Lola, Wieden+Kennedy, Gut and Artplan.
The top four teams will advance to the semifinals, which will determine the finalists. Meanwhile, the bottom two teams — one from each series — will be relegated and will not be eligible to compete in the following year’s Mídia’s Cup. In 2027, the relegated teams will be replaced by the two agencies with the highest number of participants enrolled in Grupo de Mídia courses.
The 2026 grand final will take place on a Saturday, December 5, marking the first time in 10 years that the final has been held on a Saturday. With the change, GMSP aims to attract an even larger crowd of supporters to the championship decider.
All teams must have mixed-gender rosters, including both male and female players. Each team may register up to 18 players, for a total of 288 athletes, with a primary focus on professionals from media departments. Teams may also invite up to three men and three women from other areas of their respective agencies. In addition, up to two professionals from clients or media companies may be invited to participate. Each match begins with seven players on the pitch, including a minimum of two women as outfield players.
