Mastercard and Visa Among Finance Top Scorers Post-World Cup

Global sporting events like the FIFA World Cup capture the hearts and attention of millions globally, with stories from the tournament dominating headlines in recent weeks.

This year’s instalment also exemplifies the importance of payments infrastructure, with millions of transactions taking place from ticketing and betting to in-stadium purchases.

This also means both infrastructure and brand trust under intense scrutiny, making the World Cup a real-time test of reliability, security and consumer perception on a global stage.

Against this backdrop, new analysis from media intelligence provider CARMA reveals how four major payment brands – Mastercard, Visa, PayPal and Apple Pay – were portrayed across 898 pieces of World Cup coverage, exposing a clear divide between visibility, sentiment and narrative control.

Trust over tech: The defining narrative

“Trust, not technology, defined how payment brands were talked about at this year’s FIFA World Cup,” CARMA says in its research, highlighting how reputational factors outweighed product innovation in shaping media narratives.

While all four brands appeared across conversations around betting, fraud and scams, ticketing and cashless payments at fan venues, their roles – and the sentiment attached to them – vastly differed.

Mastercard: Scale meets scrutiny

Mastercard emerged as the most visible payments brand in World Cup media coverage, according to CARMA, but that prominence came with reputational complexity. 

Fraud-related stories accounted for 195 of its mentions – the single largest thematic association for any brand analysed.

The company’s proactive stance on consumer education contributed to 162 mentions under thought leadership, positioning it as both a payments provider and a voice on fraud prevention. 

However, narratives around scams, fake FIFA websites and card data theft were also prominent.

On social media, Mastercard generated 41,400 mentions with a 97.1% positive sentiment rate. 

Engagement was largely driven by crypto-promotional posts rather than organic fan interaction. 

PayPal: Engagement without ownership

PayPal’s presence across the World Cup was shaped primarily by its role in betting ecosystems, with 244 mentions linking the brand to wagering platforms and prediction markets.

This functional positioning translated into the highest social engagement among the four brands, generating 100,400 engagements from 10,600 mentions. 

Much of this activity stemmed from creator monetisation and donation flows, particularly on digital content platforms.

CARMA’s research found that sentiment remained largely neutral at 77.4%, reinforcing its role as infrastructure rather than a focal brand – with negative commentary focused more on ticket pricing and donation fatigue rather than on PayPal itself.

Apple Pay: Providing quiet infrastructure at scale

Apple Pay recorded the smallest footprint, with 950 mentions and 6,300 engagements,.

This is because it plays an embedded role in facilitating cashless payments across fan environments and is not at the forefront of customer experience in the same way as other payments operators.

Betting dominated its coverage, followed by fan experiences tied to in-stadium and fan zone transactions.

With 64.5% neutral sentiment, Apple Pay maintained a steady but low-profile presence, consistent with its broader strategy of seamless integration.

Visa: Sponsorship-driven clarity

When it came to the World Cup, Visa took a different approach – making the most of its official FIFA partnership which anchored a more consistent narrative. 

While it recorded the lowest share of voice, it generated 55,500 engagements – the highest engagement relative to volume.

The majority of coverage it has received throughout the tournament centred on sponsorship and community initiatives, including Visa Street Soccer Parks and its US$600,000 Tap In to Impact programme supporting nonprofits across host nations.

As a result, this translated into the most balanced sentiment profile, with 51.8% positive and 45.5% neutral coverage.

Addressing a fragmented payments narrative

CARMA’s findings don’t shy away from a fragmented competitive landscape which sees where each brand occupies a distinct position.

However, as global events continue to test payment ecosystems at scale, the data suggests that trust – shaped by context, control and clarity – is becoming the defining currency for fintech brands.