#MoreThanAGame: Transforming lives through the power of sport

THE BRIEF

Sport speaks a language everyone understands. UNOCT wanted to find out how it can also change lives, on the biggest stage possible.

Launched alongside the 2022 FIFA World Cup, #MoreThanAGame was developed as part of UNOCT’s Global Sports Programme, delivered with co-implementing partners UNAOC, UNICRI and the International Centre for Sport Security, in collaboration with Generation Amazing, and backed by the Governments of the Republic of Korea and Qatar and the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund. Rooftop was tasked with building a global digital campaign that promoted sport as a force for good, using the World Cup’s global spotlight to reach young people around the world.

THE CREATIVE

Sparking a global conversation during the World Cup meant finding stories that felt personal, not promotional. We built the campaign around the real experiences of professional athletes and young people whose lives had been shaped by sport, letting their voices carry the message rather than a top-down call to action.

The campaign‘s signature video featured Nadia Nadim, a former refugee and international footballer, sharing how the game helped her find her purpose and her place in the world. Supporting films turned to Masareka, a former refugee and beneficiary of the Integrated Community Development Initiative in Uganda, and Kelsey, a participant in the Irish FA Foundation’s programming, both speaking to how sport builds peace, tolerance and human connection from their own lived experience.

Around the launch, we supported round-table discussions and “Golden Ticket” events, giving exemplary young people the chance to sit down directly with professional athletes and share their own journeys. Digital assets extended these stories further, amplified by a network of sporting and government influencers including Luis Figo, Nadia Nadim, Abhinav Bindra, Noorena Shams, Sarah Essam and Jayathma Wickramanayake.

THE VIDEOS

THE IMPACT

#MoreThanAGame generated over 40 million impressions globally, across English, Spanish, French and Arabic, with the US, Qatar, Italy, India, the UK and Spain among the top-reached countries.

The campaign content earned 82% positive sentiment, and a network of 13 influencers directly reached 1.2 million people, generating a further 13 million impressions across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Through compelling stories and strategic partnerships, #MoreThanAGame turned the World Cup’s global stage into a platform for something bigger than the game itself, showing how sport can foster resilience, connect communities, and become a genuine catalyst for social change.

THE DETAILS