If you’ve ever walked through the Llefià neighborhood in Badalona, you’ve surely noticed that splash of neon color that breaks up the gray of the asphalt. La Pista Verda isn’t just a place where neighborhood kids shoot some hoops or play a pickup game of indoor soccer—it’s now also FIFA’s headquarters.
The news has gone viral after it was confirmed that Adidas has chosen this location to shoot its main commercial for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s not a random choice: the German brand is seeking that authentic, raw “neighborhood soccer” vibe that only places with the character of Pista Verda can offer.
Bad Bunny, Timothée Chalamet, Messi, Zidane, Lamine Yamal, and Beckham… in Badalona
What has really set off all the alarms is the caliber of the stars featured in this production. This isn’t just any commercial, but a showcase of talent that looks like it was plucked from a guest list for the Oscars or a Ballon d’Or gala. At the center of the action, the name that stops everything: Lionel Messi. The Argentine superstar shares the spotlight with the new crown jewel of Catalan and world soccer, Lamine Yamal, thus uniting the past and future of Barça on a public court just a few kilometers from Camp Nou.
But the cast doesn’t stop on the field. The ad features an “XXL” lineup where music and film also have their place. From the magnetism of Bad Bunny to the style of Timothée Chalamet, including living legends of soccer elegance like Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham. The commercial also gives a voice to women’s soccer with the presence of American player Trinity Rodman, and adds the speed of Ousmane Dembélé, creating a pop culture cocktail that puts Badalona on the map of global trends.
For the locals, seeing production trucks and giant spotlights is already becoming part of the scenery, though the excitement of seeing their idols stepping onto the same concrete where they play every afternoon remains the main topic of conversation in the area’s bars. With this new campaign, the Pista Verda is definitively established as the most famous (and televised) soccer field in all of Catalonia, proving that to go global, sometimes the best approach is to stay very local.
