Visa, an official partner of the FIFA World Cup 2026, has launched The New Game Plan – a cross-border travel campaign created by Serviceplan Middle East, rolling out across 15 countries and 13 languages throughout the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) region.
Building on the insight that spontaneous, unplanned moments are often the best memories from trip, the campaign celebrates the kind of travel that happens beyond the itinerary.
The timely campaign also considers how summer is the busiest travel season in the CEMEA region – and with the global football tournament in focus – how the world begins to behave like a stadium.
Cities rewire themselves around the energy of the game. Quiet restaurants erupt because of a match playing somewhere nearby. Watch parties replace dinner reservations. Fan zones emerge where markets once stood. Even taking the wrong turn can lead you somewhere unforgettable.
Therefore, Visa’s campaign celebrates the kind of travel that happens beyond the itinerary. The campaign positions the payment technology network as a reliable travel companion, bringing tourists the confidence and flexibility of Visa. Travellers are empowered to lean into the unexpected, moving one step closer to where they want to be.
“Our challenge from the outset was to bring three worlds together – travel, Visa, and the FIFA World Cup. Most stories during the World Cup season are told through games, players and stadiums, but we saw a more human one: the tournament doesn’t stay in the host cities, it travels. So we built ‘The New Travel Game Plan’ around the fan on the move, with Visa right there in every moment,” Vineeta P. Vasisht, Head of Client Servicing, Serviceplan Middle East.
Through a series of social media posts, out-of-home assets and digital banners, the campaign is Visa’s reassurance that travellers can stay flexible, be spontaneous and keep moving.
The campaign also features a cameo from pro-football legend Pep Guardiola, and current South African footballer Ronwen Williams, who make a playful nod to the campaign’s premise: that while planning matters, some of life’s most memorable moments happen when you’re willing to embrace the unexpected.
Furthermore, Thomas Nicolae Gheorghiu and Shalisa Hira, Associate Creative Directors, Serviceplan Middle East agree that the new campaign’s winning feature is how, instead of imagining a travel scenario, the team ‘found the Visa’ in realistic moments such as a missed train or last minute dinner reservation.
All in all, the campaign aims to reassure travellers that Visa payments are simple, accepted around the world and secure, so nothing gets in the way of the moment.
Credits:
Client: Visa
Agency: Serviceplan Middle East
Creative:
• Akhilesh Bagri (Chief Creative Officer)
• Nishant Shah (Executive Creative Director)
• Andre Couto (Creative Director)
• Shalisha Hira (Associate Creative Director)
• Thomas Nicolae Gheorghiu (Associate Creative Director)
• Rana Ahmed (Associate Creative Director, Head of Arabic)
• Megan Fowkes (Associate Creative Director)
• Nehal Salah (Arabic Copywriter)
• Kunal Gagwani (Associate Creative Director)
Account Management:
• Natalie Shardan (Managing Partner)
• Vineeta Pulkit Vasisht (Head of Client Servicing)
• Jeflin Hashim (Account Director)
• Yasmine Pithawalla (Account Director)
Producers:
• Geetika Sood (Head of Production)
• Mahmoud Abdelfattah (Producer)
• Saquib Wakankar (Junior Production Manager)
Production House:
• Nalle Sjöblad (Director)
• Manasvi Gosalia (Executive Producer)
• Kavya Iyer (Head of Production)
• Steve Gergess (Senior Producer)
• Adnan Plummer (Post Producer)
