From the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Final in New York/New Jersey to Flavor Flav’s SHE Weekend in Las Vegas, Dove activated coast-to-coast as it transformed the biggest moments in sports into a platform to help girls build body confidence and stay in sports through the Dove Self-Esteem Project
HOBOKEN, N.J., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the FIFA World Cup 2026™ came to a close and the nation’s top athletes gathered in Las Vegas for Flavor Flav’s SHE Weekend, Dove turned two of sport’s biggest moments into a platform for a mission far greater than the final whistle: helping girls build body confidence so they stay in the game. From its role as an Official Sponsor of the tournament to its programming at SHE Weekend, Dove brought #KeepHerConfident to life through athlete partnerships and immersive experiences that inspired more girls to keep playing.
Through Body Confident Sport, the Body Confident Collective and #KeepHerConfident, the brand is working alongside athletes, coaches, parents and organizations to create sports environments where girls are valued for what their bodies can do—not judged for how they look. The work is driven by an urgent reality: nearly one in two girls quit sports because they are criticized about their body. By showing up during one of the biggest moments on the global sports calendar, Dove is using the power of sports to help change that story.
As an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026™, this past weekend Dove celebrated the tournament’s final game by welcoming friends and partners to experience the excitement of the world’s biggest sporting event while highlighting the importance of ensuring every girl has the confidence to stay in the game. The moment built on the brand’s broader FIFA campaign, The Game Is Ours, which celebrates the joy, sounds and movement of girls in sports while challenging the negative body talk that too often sidelines young athletes.
The celebration coincided with Flavor Flav’s SHE Weekend in Las Vegas, where Dove brought together athletes, advocates and young girls for conversations and experiences that reflected on the role confidence plays in an athlete’s journey. The event started with a panel discussion moderated by Odessa Jenkins, and featured Dove partners Ilona Maher, Hilary Knight and Alyssa Thompson who shared personal stories about navigating pressure, building confidence and inspiring the next generation. Following the panel, Dove hosted its #KeepHerConfident Huddle, a Body Confident Sport Workshop that welcomed members of the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada for an afternoon of mentorship, movement and confidence-building activities.
“Celebrating the accomplishments of the most elite athletes is powerful, but it is equally important to create environments that ensure the next generation believes there is a place for them in sports,” said Marcela Melero, Chief Growth Marketing Officer, Dove. “That’s why at Dove, we’re committed to showing girls what is possible. Through #KeepHerConfident and Body Confident Sport, we’re helping them discover the confidence, community and joy that comes with playing sports.”
Dove had a series of efforts throughout the summer designed to keep girls playing the sports they love:
- Across the FIFA World Cup 2026™, SHE Weekend and a summer of programming, Dove brought #KeepHerConfident to life through a series of initiatives designed to help girls stay in sports: As an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Dove unveiled The Game Is Ours, a campaign celebrating the sounds and movements of girls in sports while challenging the negative body talk that can make them feel as though they do not belong.
- Dove also had a physical presence at FIFA through Unilever’s Fresh Clubhouse, a fan experience across New York and New Jersey, Los Angeles and Dallas. Within the multi-brand environment, Dove created a dedicated locker space bringing The Game Is Ours to life through immersive storytelling, product engagement and sampling of the new limited-edition Palo Santo & Sage collection.
- As a sponsor of the Welcome to the Party podcast throughout the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Dove helped elevate conversations around the power of sports for women and girls. In a special episode taping during finals weekend, sports icon and Dove Partner Billie Jean King joined Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy to discuss how sports can build confidence in girls and the responsibility every generation has to move the game forward for women athletes.
- Dove is continuing to expand access to Body Confident Sport, an evidence-based program created to help coaches, parents and mentors build body confidence among athletes ages 11 to 17. The program provides practical tools that help adults create sports environments where girls are valued for what their bodies can do, not judged for how their bodies look.
- Through its Body Confident Collective, U.S. Women’s National Team forward Alyssa Thompson is using her platform to #KeepHerConfident as she sets her sights on the biggest stage of women’s soccer in 2027.
“When you are a young athlete, the messages you hear from coaches, teammates, fans and even yourself can have a lasting impact,” said Alyssa Thompson. “Girls should be able to focus on competing and having fun instead of worrying about whether their bodies look a certain way. I am proud to work with Dove to empower more girls to stay in sports.”
As global attention shifts from this summer’s biggest sporting moments toward the future of women’s sports, Dove remains committed to helping every girl discover the confidence to stay in the game. Through #KeepHerConfident, Body Confident Sport and the Body Confident Collective, the brand will continue working alongside athletes, coaches, parents and organizations to challenge body criticism and help make sports a place where every girl can experience confidence, connection and joy.
Learn more about how to #KeepHerConfident at Dove.com
About the Dove Research
Dove commissioned this survey to expose the reality of girls’ experience in sports and the impact it has on their confidence, as well as the drivers behind girls dropping out and potential solutions.
We asked 4,917 children of different ages, ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds in Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and US to take part in a 15-minute online survey.
The study included 3,506 girls aged between 9-17 years old (approximately 500 from each country) and 1,391 boys aged 9-17 years old (approximately 200 from each country) who had the consent of a parent or legal guardian to take part.
About the Dove Self-Esteem Project
Dove is the largest self-esteem education provider in the world, offering no-cost, academically validated tools to parents, teachers, mentors, and kids for nearly two decades with the Dove Self-Esteem Project. To date, Dove has reached more than 137 million young people globally across 150+ countries with DSEP, with a goal of reaching 250M young lives by 2030.
About Dove
Dove started its life in 1957 in the US, with the launch of its iconic Beauty Bar and patented blend of mild cleansers and ¼ moisturizing cream. Dove’s heritage is rooted in care – proof, not promises grew Dove from a Beauty Bar into one of the world’s most beloved beauty brands.
Real women have always been our inspiration, and since the beginning, Dove has been wholly committed to providing superior care to all, and to championing real representations of beauty in our advertising, communications, and campaigns. Dove believes that beauty is for everyone, and the Dove mission is to ensure a positive experience with beauty is universally accessible to all.
For more than 65 years, Dove has been committed to broadening narrow definitions of beauty in the work we do. This includes the ‘Dove Real Beauty Pledge,’ and commitment to:
- Portray women as they are in real life with honesty, diversity, and respect. We feature women of different ages, sizes, ethnicities, hair color, type, and style.
- Represent individuals with zero digital distortion, with all images approved by the women they feature. This includes never using AI to alter or distort real people in our marketing, advertising or campaigns.
- Help young people build body confidence and self-esteem through the Dove Self-Esteem Project, the biggest provider of self-esteem education in the world with a goal to educate 250 million young people by 2030. © 2026 Unilever
Media Contact:
Izzy Tuchmann
Isabel.Tuchmann@edelman.com
SOURCE Dove