Clash of Clans & Football Legends

Supercell wanted to drive global awareness and social reach of Clash of Clans ahead of the launch of its new season, Clash With Haaland. With a huge multi-channel campaign spanning in-game, digital, OOH and media, the developer wanted to make an equally big impact across social media to create a truly unforgettable cultural moment. The brief was to create a dedicated social amplification strategy that would cut through globally, complement the Haaland partnership, and deliver meaningful reach without relying solely on paid media.

The arrival of Erling Haaland as the face of the new Clash of Clans season created a unique cultural intersection between football and gaming. The most powerful way to amplify that moment was not simply to promote Haaland, but to challenge him, in keeping with the competitive nature of Clash of Clans. Football legends with global recognition and authentic relevance to Haaland’s career offered a way to build a narrative that felt playful, competitive and rooted in football culture. As Playmaker Sports Founder Matt Gamby explains, “Haaland was reshaping football’s global hierarchy, and tapping into that shift allowed the campaign to feel genuinely culturally relevant. Pairing him with legends who still carry huge weight gave the idea depth, personality and global reach, exactly what Clash of Clans were looking for with this campaign.”

Playmaker developed a creative concept built around football legends challenging Haaland for his new position inside the Clash of Clans universe. Working with Supercell, we identified the three profiles who could deliver impact in their key markets, as well as authentic narrative relevance: Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Sergio Agüero. Each legend was briefed to make their own case for why they, not Haaland, should be the new Barbarian King in the Clash of Clans universe, drawing on their careers, personalities and iconic moments. The content was designed to live natively on each player’s social channels, supported by Supercell’s own platforms, ensuring the campaign reached both gaming audiences and hundreds of millions of football fans worldwide.

The campaign delivered exceptional global reach and cultural cut-through. The content series generated more than 40 million organic views across player and Supercell-owned channels, significantly amplifying the Clash With Haaland season online and driving widespread awareness among both gaming and football audiences. The legends’ combined social footprint introduced Clash of Clans to new markets and demographics, while the playful rivalry narrative helped re-engage existing players. The campaign contributed to a major uplift in global visibility for the season launch and reinforced Clash of Clans as a culturally relevant brand more than a decade after its original release.

The collaboration brought together three of the most recognisable names in world football, each with a loyal global following and a natural connection to Haaland’s rise. The content achieved significant organic reach, validating the strategy of using football culture to amplify a gaming moment. The success of the campaign demonstrated Playmaker’s ability to identify the right personalities, build a narrative that feels authentic to both sport and gaming, and deliver measurable impact without relying on heavy paid support.