The 2022 FIFA World Cup was one of the most unique events in the history of FOX Sports.

Never before has a soccer tournament of such magnitude, usually held during the summer months of June and July, taken place during the fall, a time of year traditionally crammed to the rafters with domestic sports, holiday travel, and festive fare.

The challenge was to not only ensure that soccer’s preeminent competition deliver in such a crowded landscape but that it breaks through, wins ratings, and captures attention in a market more jam packed than Walmart on Black Friday.

For the first time the world's biggest sporting event happened during the Fall in the heart of our best and busiest sports calendar. The World Cup, the NFL, College Football, the NBA, and more all co-existed in 2022.

We combined the power of the World Cup with the magic of the holiday season and thus made the most wonderful time of the year… even more wonderful. Our awareness spot, featuring some of today's biggest stars is focused on letting people know just how special this moment will be.

We created a narrative around the one person who wouldn't be excited about the World Cup in the holiday season: Santa. The spot follows how Santa has a change of heart and even is feverishly excited for the biggest sporting event on the planet.

Our strategy was to combine the power of the World Cup with the magic of the holiday season and thus make the most wonderful time of the year… even more wonderful.

The World Cup is so much more than a sporting event; it's a can't-miss pop culture moment that commands the attention of celebrities and mainstream taste makers. With this in mind, casting the right faces to promote this once in a lifetime event was of utmost importance. With Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey, The GOAT, Tom Brady, our Team USA stars, Mad Men Legend, Jon Hamm, and Ellie Kemper as Mrs. Claus, we covered all of our bases. Finally, we tied in the biggest names in soccer: Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar.

Between our star studded cast and clever copywriting, we had a moment for the potential, casual, and diehard fan alike.

We shot for the "stars"...and landed them!

As kick off approached, we followed up on-air with our final installment from Santa, a rousing spot that saw him read aloud a child’s letter asking for nothing more than the U.S. to finally win the World Cup for Christmas.

With the nation reveling in this once in a lifetime event, viewing figures rose, belief built (and inevitably crumbled), and spirits soared. Excitement peaked during a dramatic final match one week before Christmas day that saw Messi, The Messiah, seemingly fulfill his destiny as Argentina was crowned World Champions to a record audience of 16.8 million viewers.