This summer, with support from Wellcome and alongside 89up, Round Our Way used the men's World Cup to talk about climate change, extreme heat and health with an audience climate campaigns rarely reach: Rooted Patriots. Proud of where they're from, sceptical of lectures, and more likely to trust their kids' football coach than a national campaign.

The World Cup was the hook, but the stories were about the UK: baked grassroots pitches, cancelled kids' matches, volunteers coping with heat without the cooling breaks the pros get.

It worked. We aimed for 20 pieces of coverage and got 63, including ITV packages across five regions, reaching up to 3.7 million people. Memes seeded in football fan spaces drew 400,000 organic views. Nineteen creators, with a combined 2.2 million followers, produced content viewed over 650,000 times, and 86% say they'll make climate content again.

The lesson: start with what people already care about, use relatable messengers, and let health lead you to climate.

To read more about the impact of our World Cup 2026 programme, download the presentation here.