Chicago Fire FC drew nearly 100,000 fans to a World Cup viewing experience it built itself, even though Chicago was not a host city for the tournament.

The figure came from CMO Dan Moriarty during a live conversation with Jenny Rooney on the Marketing Vanguard stage at Brandweek 2026. Moriarty used the example to make a wider point about what marketers can still own in an attention economy.

"Brands do not always need official status to participate in culture," Moriarty said. "They need to understand where their audience already cares and create something worth showing up for."

What does the World Cup watch party prove?

The club built a large-scale viewing experience and used it to anchor an owned Chicago fan moment. The turnout gave Chicago Fire FC a cultural foothold it had not paid for in rights fees.

For Moriarty, the takeaway is operational. Marketers who wait for sanctioned partnerships miss moments their audiences already care about. Chicago had no matches to host. It had fans with nowhere to gather. The club filled the gap.

Is targeting still a competitive advantage?

Not in the way it once was, Moriarty argued. Automated media buying has collapsed the technical barrier to reach. Almost anyone can buy reach now.

"Reaching the right person is easier," he said. "Making that person stop, notice and feel something is harder."

Moriarty began his career agency-side in England, moved to brand work at Hyatt, then spent roughly eight years with the Chicago Bulls before joining Chicago Fire FC. He came up in digital with what he called a "science-over-art" mindset. At Brandweek 2026, he said that balance needs to flip. His argument for the room:

• Buying reach is no longer a meaningful competitive advantage.
• Easier targeting makes stronger creative more important, not less.
• Automated distribution amplifies mediocre work faster than ever.

"Easier access to audiences has not made marketing easier," Moriarty said. "It has raised the cost of being forgettable."

What was harder than the campaign work?

The people decisions. Moriarty said one of his biggest lessons at Chicago Fire FC had nothing to do with media. He inherited a marketing organization where some hires were not right for their roles. He gave the situation time. The team noticed.

"High performers notice," he said. "Some leave."

His conclusion: tolerating underperformance punishes the strongest people first. Avoiding the hard call usually makes the problem worse. That lesson now shapes his restructuring of the club's in-house creative operation.

What is Chicago Fire FC building next?

The club sits inside a period of significant investment. New on-field ambitions, a downtown presence, updated facilities and plans for a new stadium frame the marketing agenda. Moriarty's creative-first stance positions Chicago Fire FC to compete on attention and emotion rather than on reach mechanics — a bet that will be tested against bigger-budget MLS rivals as the league's next media cycle and the World Cup halo settle into the market.