NEW YORK: The world's football stars will not be the only ones competing for glory at this year's World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. Coca-Cola will also be running hard.

The US soft-drink giant, facing lower sales in North America, is an official sponsor of the 20th World Cup, considered along with the Olympics as one of the world's top sporting events.

Coca-Cola plans a marketing blitz with commercials featuring football stars and jingles celebrating the football extravaganza. The beverage maker has also sponsored a tour of the FIFA World Cup trophy that will visit 90 countries overall.

"The event is a win-win for Coke," said William Chipps, an analyst at IEG, a leading sponsorship consultancy.

"With an event, especially a global event like the World Cup, that's a very unique platform for global brands. There's only a handful of properties that will allow you to have a global campaign built around it."

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