• First season of FIFA PlayOn Podcast to feature football players and global musicians such as Ivan Rakitić, Carli Lloyd, Asisat Oshoala, Lele Pons, Tiwa Savage, Wretch 32 and Morat, among others
FIFA has today announced the launch of FIFA Sound, a new entertainment strategy designed to create innovative and meaningful connections between football fans, music enthusiasts, players, artists, and the game and songs they all love.
“FIFA’s vision is to make football truly global, accessible and inclusive. The crossover between football and music underscores this wider cultural relevance. Both are universal languages and have the power to create unrivalled emotions. It’s a natural fit to bring them together,” said Jean-François Pathy, FIFA’s Director of Marketing. “It’s been fantastic to see the enthusiasm around the launch of this strategy, and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead to connect people through inspiring human stories.”
Speaking about the announcement of the series, Liam Payne said, “I can’t wait for everyone to hear what we’ve been working on with FIFA. The PlayOn Podcast has been such a journey – it’s been awesome having these incredible players and special guests come together and exchange life experiences from both on and off the pitch, all through the lens of music.”
PlayOn is the first of many new initiatives that FIFA will be launching in 2021 and beyond as part of its strategic collaboration with Universal Music Group for Brands – a division of Universal Music Group, the world leader in music-based entertainment.
Olivier Robert-Murphy, the Executive Vice President of Universal Music Group for Brands, said, “We’re delighted to be able to launch this collaboration between FIFA and Universal Music Group, which brings together two of the world’s biggest and most influential passion points – football and music – to create a series of unique fan experiences. Starting with the launch of the PlayOn Podcast series, these initiatives will showcase the symbiosis and shared bonds between the world’s best footballers and musicians alongside the fans that idolise them globally.”
PlayOn debuted on 13 January 2021, and is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music and other podcast players.
New episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays. Playlists featuring the songs chosen by each player will be posted on Spotify for listeners to enjoy. Guest pairings for the opening episodes include:
• Ivan Rakitić & Morat
• Carli Lloyd & Rachel Platten
• Asisat Oshoala & Tiwa Savage
Guests in future episodes will include Deyna Castellanos, Lele Pons, Wretch 32 and more.