World Cup Beach Fotball, at Cannes Lions 2010

Because football is in the center of attention those days, football will take centre stage at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival this month also as the event hosts its very own World Cup. As national teams compete for the game’s biggest prize in South Africa, 16 countries will be represented in the Cannes Lions Beach Football World Cup, sponsored by Eurosport Television.

The beach football will be played on the Plage du Palais, close to the Palais des Festivals, which will be transformed into a beach football pitch, complete with match officials, score board and crowd areas.

Cannes Lions delegates from Europe, South America, North America and Australia will compete for the advertising festival’s most prestigious sporting prize. The competition will take place on Tuesday June 22ns and Wednesday June 23rd , with matches being played through the day on Tuesday from 9am to 6pm. The knock-out stages will begin from 1pm on Wednesday June 23rd.

The match schedule for the 16 teams, recruited by their respective national Cannes Lions representatives, features some mouth-watering contests. World Cup hosts South Africa face Brazil in Group 1, England face old rivals Argentina in Group 2 and Group 4 has neighbours USA and Canada going head-to-head.

Eurosport will also be broadcasting all the World Cup matches from South Africa on an HD screen in the central foyer of the Palais des Festivals during the Festival, enabling delegates to follow their team’s progress.

“The international nature of Cannes Lions created a great opportunity for us to support the Festival’s own beach football World Cup. As a World Cup broadcaster it was natural for Eurosport to be associated with this event which will see delegates compete for their own taste of World Cup glory. There is an impressive array of teams taking part from around the world and I am sure it will be a popular addition to the Festival programme.”

Heather Bowler, Global Director of Communications for Eurosport

“Eurosport has been a supporter of the Festival for several years within the Palais des Festivals and when they came to us with the idea of a football competition we thought it was a great way to include football fever into the event. It’s a bit of fun that during the last world cup added to the competitive spirit of the Festival.”

Philip Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival

The winning team in the Beach Football World Cup will be awarded their trophy at the Press, Design and Cyber Lions Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 23 June.

About 57th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival takes place from June 20th to June 26th, in Cannes (France).

The International Advertising Festival – Cannes Lions – is the world’s biggest celebration of creativity in communications. As the most prestigious international annual advertising awards, over 24,000 entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the Festival. Winning companies receive the highly coveted Lion trophy, honouring the most creative film, film craft, print, outdoor, interactive, radio, design, sales promo & activation and integrated advertising, as well as the best media, direct marketing, PR and Titanium ideas. The Festival is also the only truly global meeting place for advertisers, advertising and communication professionals. Over 8,000 delegates from 90 countries attend seven days of exhibitions, screenings, as well as over 50 high-profile seminars, 30 workshops and master classes presented by renowned worldwide industry leaders. As the networking and learning opportunity of the year, Cannes Lions is the must-attend event for anyone involved in brand communication.