FOX Sports, America’s English-language home for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, today announces Emmy Award-winning actor Jon Hamm, executive producer and star of FOX’s upcoming animated comedy series Grimsburg, the upcoming comedy Confess, Fletch and star of Top Gun: Maverick, will star as Santa Claus in its new creative campaign for this year’s anticipated tournament.
For the first time in history, the FIFA World Cup will take place during the holiday season providing fans across America with the opportunity to watch the beautiful game on FOX Sports throughout November and December.
The network’s hilarious new teaser opens with Hamm sitting poolside, as Santa Claus, when he receives an urgent phone call from the North Pole regarding the FIFA World Cup taking place during the holiday season – his season.
At the North Pole, the elves are already celebrating the big news unaware their boss will be upset. Upon hearing the news from his head elf, Santa’s spirits are no longer jolly as he realizes he must now perform up against some of the greatest global soccer icons on the world stage, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
With a pout, Santa accepts this challenging feat and cuts his vacation short to get to work. Watch the hilarity below:
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“One of the unique things about the FIFA World Cup is that it’s a really communal experience where people want to get together with others to enjoy the event,” said Robert Gottlieb, Executive Vice President, Marketing, FOX Sports
He added, “To have that sync with the holidays this year for the first time ever when we will all be gathering with friends and family, made for an incredible opportunity to embrace the holiday spirit in FOX Sports’ creative campaign. We look forward to following Santa on his soccer journey as he meets more surprise guest stars and becomes captivated with this year’s long-awaited tournament.”
FOX Sports’ FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 campaign debuted during the Major League Baseball All-Star game on FOX and marks the first of three commercials set to launch in the lead-up to the tournament. Fans are encouraged to keep watching FOX Sports for the next installments featuring Hamm and a star-studded lineup.
From Monday, Nov. 21 through Sunday, Dec. 18, FOX Sports will present all 64 FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 matches live across FOX and FS1 with every match live streaming on the FOX Sports app. In addition, every FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 match will be available on-demand for free on Tubi in the U.S.
Here, Hamm effortlessly uses his natural comedic timing and channels a l’il bit Don Draper from Mad Men. Can’t wait to see more of the campaign. ‘Tis the season.
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Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on Twitter at @colinthewriter1
