FOLLOW THE CAPTAIN
Emirates turned a title-deciding Lisbon derby into a stadium-wide game—with a free flight to Dubai on the line.
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AI Translation Summary
For the Benfica vs Sporting derby, Emirates transformed shirt sponsorship into a game all 65,000 fans at the Estadio da Luz could play: guess where a captain would “land” on a 1-to-100 stripe—just as 99 look-alike captains appeared to complicate the bet.
Cultural Context
Benfica and Sporting are Lisbon’s fiercest football rivals, and their match is “the Lisbon derby.” The Estadio da Luz (Stadium of Light) is Benfica’s home ground. Emirates has been the brand on Benfica’s kit since 2014.
Entry Information
Summary
Since 2014, Emirates has been the brand on Benfica’s kit. We wanted this relationship to become more than a mere sponsoring. This is why, for the Benfica vs Sporting game - the Lisbon derby - we developed a game the whole stadium could play. Our goal was simple: to convert the anguish and expectation before a title-deciding game into a funny and memorable moment - and to make more significant to every fan the brand sponsoring's Benfica's team.
Strategy
Football fans rarely care about who's their club's sponsor. Logos on the kit only make it less attractive. The only thing that really counts is how many players can be bought with the deal. Our strategy was to change that trough a on-stadium gaming experience. Suddenly, the sponsor was not only supporting the club, but also making the whole experience for the fan more enjoyable and fun. This is is the path to make the sponsor truly relevant.
Execution
5 December 2025, Estadio da Luz. Before kick-off, an Emirates captain walks into the green, announcing he would offer someone on the stands a free flight to Dubai. To win, as explained by on-the-pitch Emirates flight attendants, you would only need to identify on which number, from a stripe placed on the field counting from 1 to 100, would the captain “land”. There was, however, a catch: as soon as he started walking to the stripe, 99 new Emirates captain appeared on the green. This way, everything became much more interesting for the more than 65000 fans at The Stadium of Light. As guesses were submitted via QR codes on the giant screens, expecting for the game become as exciting as the game.
Results
On the warming up for the most-watched match of the Portuguese season, 4,164 fans played live from their seats. The video of the action reached more than 1.8M views, and the idea won Gold at Creative Club Portugal. One fan flew Lisbon to Dubai and, for thousands of them, Emirates become more than a mere logo on their team's shirt. The game, sadly, ended on a tie.