Medals, Millions & Missed Moments: How the Champions Trophy Turned Access into Attention

The medal ceremony is football’s emotional climax. It is the moment where tension dissolves, history is sealed, and the sport reveals its most human side. Pride, relief, disbelief and joy collide in seconds that players remember for the rest of their careers.

And yet, for all its emotional weight, this moment remains one of football’s most underutilised assets. Captured, yes. Capitalised on? Rarely.

So why does the sport keep overlooking one of its most powerful storytelling tools?

When the Best Seat in the Stadium Isn’t in the Stands

During the 2026 Champions Trophy final between Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and Olympique de Marseille, the Ligue 1 McDonald's decided to treat access not as a liability, but as an opportunity. Through its partnership with Double Tap, Ligue 1 McDonald's reimagined what proximity could look like in a modern football final.

For three days, two carefully selected creators were embedded inside the competition itself. They moved through spaces normally reserved for players and staff, documenting moments before they became memories. Training sessions behind closed doors, intimate player interactions, the quiet build-up before matchday, and the arrival alongside the squads all became part of the narrative.

Most importantly, they were present at the medal handover, positioned at the very point where emotion peaks and meaning crystallises.

This was not access for access’s sake. It was access with intent.

Creators Aren’t a Risk, They’re a Multiplier

For years, the industry has treated creators cautiously, often restricting them to controlled environments and pre-approved narratives. The fear is familiar. Loss of control. Misalignment. Exposure without guarantees.

Ligue 1 McDonald's chose to challenge that mindset. By trusting creators to lead the storytelling, it acknowledged a simple truth: creators do not dilute the product. When selected correctly, they amplify it.

Creators understand pacing, emotion and audience instinctively. They don’t just show what happened. They translate how it felt. In doing so, they connect competitions to audiences in ways traditional coverage increasingly struggles to achieve.

Disruption, by nature, feels uncomfortable. But stagnation is far riskier.

When the Story Works, the Numbers Follow

On paper, the idea made sense. In performance, it delivered even more convincingly.

Across just two creators, the content generated fifty-five million views, nearly two million likes and more than seventeen thousand comments. The visuals were cinematic, emotionally charged and immersive, extending the life of the final far beyond the final whistle.

Particularly notable was the performance on Facebook Reels, where content published on Iman Ali Dib and Panna King’s accounts alone accumulated over five point seven million views.

The takeaway is simple. When access is treated as a strategic asset rather than a guarded secret, visibility scales rapidly. This was not just coverage of a final. It was a blueprint for how football can tell its stories better.