Coca-Cola Brings The FIFA World Cup 26™ Trophy Tour And Coke Studio Bharat Live
Adding to the celebrations was the presence of Brazilian football icon Gilberto Silva.
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After more than a decade, the FIFA World Cup Original trophy made a rare appearance in India as part of the FIFA World Cup 26™ Trophy Tour. Held across two cities, Delhi on January 11 and Guwahati on January 13, the tour was brought to life through a broader cultural experience that beautifully blended sports and music.
A long-awaited return
For Indian football fans, the arrival of the Original Trophy carried deep emotional weight. It had been 12 years since the prize was last seen in the country, making this return a once-in-a-lifetime moment for many. Across both venues, fans queued patiently for hours, phones in hand, waiting for a brief window to stand face-to-face with football’s most coveted symbol.
Some fans posed for photographs, others simply stood still, taking in the magnitude of the moment. Parents narrated football World Cup memories to children experiencing the trophy for the first time. Friends debated favourite goals and heartbreak losses. Surrounding the trophy were immersive zones designed to celebrate the football culture.
Creators carry the story forward
Adding to the celebrations was the presence of Brazilian football icon Gilberto Silva. A World Cup winner himself, Silva spent time interacting with fans and creators, creating a real connection between the trophy and the stories behind it. For many attendees, seeing a former World Cup champion alongside the trophy elevated the experience.
Influencers such as Varun Sood and footballers such as Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Dalima Chibber shared BTS glimpses and real-time reactions from the event across their social platforms.
When football meets music
Running parallel to the Trophy Tour was the debut of Coke Studio Bharat Live, marking the platform’s first on-ground experience after building a strong digital following.
In Delhi, the evening culminated in a collaborative medley led by Shreya Ghoshal, joined on stage by Rashmeet Kaur, Aditya Rikhari, Divyam and Khwaab. The set moved fluidly between styles and languages, with the crowd responding in full voice, turning the performance into a collective sing-along.
Adding to the exclusivity of the experience, Aditya Rikhari also performed his unreleased track Ae Ajnabee, offering audiences a first listen to the song from the upcoming Coke Studio Bharat season.
Guwahati, meanwhile, focused on regional artists and stories shaped by younger audiences. The lineup featured Anoushka Maskey, Rito Riba, Shankuraj Konwar and Anuv Jain. Each performance drew from distinct sonic worlds yet sat comfortably within the shared fandom of Coke Studio Bharat.
A standout moment came during Anuv Jain’s meet-and-greet, where fans queued for selfies, along with brief exchanges and autographs that made the event even more intimate.
Across both cities, what stood out most was how naturally football and music came together. Music wasn’t treated as background entertainment but given equal spotlight with the sport itself. This approach shows how younger audiences experience culture today which can fluidly move between sports, music and digital storytelling without rigid boundaries. Football chants and song lyrics flowed side by side, showing that at its core, fandom is about being part of something shared.
More than a passing moment
As the final notes faded and the trophy continued its global journey, what lingered was the sense that something more enduring had taken place. The FIFA World Cup 26™ Trophy Tour in India reconnected fans with a global legacy and reframed it through local voices, sounds and stories.
In doing so, the initiative offered a glimpse into the future of large-scale cultural events in India, where sport, music and community come together to create moments at a much larger scale.