Merlins Sports officially launches at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Not inside the stadiums, but in the streets — where the real energy of the game lives.
We have always believed that sport does not begin at kickoff, nor does it end with the final whistle. Sport lives in cafés, on sidewalks, in late-night debates, spontaneous chants, pickup games, family traditions, and the quiet moments before crowds arrive. Fans are everything. Their passion is the heartbeat of the game.
From the Screen to the Streets
As Netflix launches FIFA gaming exclusively on its platform, Merlins Sports activates a parallel, real-world experience — connecting digital fandom to human connection.
Our Merlins Street Teams will be deployed across three iconic World Cup cities:
- Vancouver
- Toronto
- Mexico City
This is Screen to Streets in its purest form.
Street Teams will meet fans where they already gather — fan zones, public squares, cafés, transit hubs, pop-up pitches, and unexpected corners of each city. The mission is simple: capture the soul of the World Cup through the people who live it.
Live, Raw, Unfiltered
Every day during the tournament, Merlins Street Teams will broadcast live on YouTube, turning the streets into a global stage.
No scripts.
No polished studio walls.
Just authentic moments — voices, faces, emotions — happening in real time.
Fans won’t just watch the World Cup.
They’ll become part of it.
World Cup 2026 Micro Dramas
Alongside the live broadcasts, Merlins Sports will premiere our FIFA World Cup 2026 Micro Dramas — short-form, cinematic stories captured on the streets during the tournament.
These micro dramas explore:
- First-time World Cup fans experiencing the atmosphere
- Families passing football traditions across generations
- Street debates, rivalries, joy, heartbreak, and hope
- The cultural identity of each host city through football
Each piece is designed to be immediate, emotional, and timeless — snapshots of a World Cup seen from the ground up.
Why This Matters
The World Cup is more than matches.
It is movement, migration, music, language, food, and shared belief.
Merlins Sports exists to document that space between sport and humanity — the moments cameras usually miss, but fans never forget.
FIFA World Cup 2026 marks the beginning of a new chapter for Merlins Sports:
a global platform built on storytelling, community, and real fan energy — from the screen to the streets, and out into the world.
— Merlins Sports Entertainment
Feeling Punjabi – A Feature Film in Development
Project: Feeling Punjabi
Category: Film Development
Status: In Development / Co-Production Stagescreen Production / Merlins Sports Films
Location: Birmingham
Feeling Punjabi has been in development with StageScreen Productions for some time. It wasn’t until Tom Brady became a part-owner of Birmingham City FC that the screenplay theme of music, sports, culture and community came into sharp focus.
At its core, Merlins is about community and sport. With a few thoughtful revisions, the screenplay naturally evolved to embrace the heartbeat of Birmingham City FC and its supporters, infused with music that moves you. The film follows two young teens whose creativity sparks a new generation of sound—music born on the streets, shaped by identity, and powerful enough to unite people across cultures.
The intention is to film during the year of the FIFA World Cup, positioning Feeling Punjabi as a co-production that captures a global moment while telling a deeply local story. Football, fandom, and rhythm collide—on match days, in neighbourhoods, and through the voices of youth who dare to create something new.
Our aim is to bring this story to life by engaging the Birmingham community, the fans of Birmingham City FC, and music lovers everywhere—creating a film that makes the entire world dance. This vision is in keeping with what inspired the rebirth of Merlins itself: the cultural impact and communal energy of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour—a reminder that music, like sport, can move generations and bring the world together.
Why We Keep a Journal
This journal exists to document the work while it is being made.
Merlins Sports Entertainment develops films, immersive experiences, micro dramas, and select beverage projects that live at the intersection of sport, culture, and storytelling. Much of that work happens quietly — in preparation, research, conversations, and time spent understanding the worlds we step into.
This journal is not a marketing channel. It is a record.
Here, we share notes from projects in progress, reflections from the field, and context around why certain stories matter to us. Some entries will be brief. Others may unfold over time. Not everything here will be polished or complete — and that is intentional.
We believe the process matters as much as the final work. The places we travel, the people we meet, and the decisions we make along the way shape the stories we tell.
This journal exists for collaborators, partners, and anyone curious about how these projects come together — from first idea to finished work.
We’ll update it as the work continues.
— Merlins Sports Entertainment
What We’re Working On
The work currently in progress spans multiple formats and timelines.
Some projects are in early research. Others are moving through development, access conversations, or production planning. A few are already in motion and unfolding quietly in the background.
Not everything we work on becomes public immediately. Part of the process involves listening, observing, and spending time inside the worlds we want to understand before deciding how — or if — a story should be told.
Across films, immersive experiences, micro-dramas, and select beverage projects, the common thread is intent. We’re interested in stories shaped by real people, real places, and real stakes — not just finished outcomes.
This journal will occasionally reflect that work as it evolves. Some entries will be specific. Others will remain deliberately high-level. Both are part of the process.
As projects move forward, we’ll share context where it makes sense.
— Merlins Sports Entertainment
Aud