CORNERFLICK
Grand Theft Auto VI is being pushed through football and basketball on the way to its release on 19 November 2026, with Rockstar placing its branding at major fixtures and planning a themed Miami Heat night.
Football's biggest stages
The game's logo and release date were shown on advertising boards during El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid on 25 October, then during the Milan derby between Inter and Milan a few days later. According to the source article, a TV advert also aired at half-time during Bayern Munich's Champions League match against Atlético Madrid on 3 November.
Paris' Stade de France also joined the campaign with a banner reading 'Welcome to Vice City'.
Miami Heat prepare a Vice City night
The Miami Heat are due to stage a 'Night in Vice City' on 18 November, one day before the game's official release. The floor will be covered in GTA 6 graphics, while catering stalls will use the names of the game's fictional Burger Shot and Cluckin' Bell restaurants.
The club has also worked with Rockstar, Travis Scott's Cactus Jack brand and Nike on pink-and-black kit for the event, with a limited run set to go on sale.
Football has changed since GTA 5
The article also points to the gap between GTA 5 and GTA 6. Grand Theft Auto V arrived in September 2013, when Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were at the centre of the Barcelona-Real Madrid rivalry, while Neymar was still at Barcelona before later spells at Paris Saint-Germain, in Saudi Arabia and back in Brazil.
By contrast, Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé were not established names in 2013.
The article ends by noting a possible sports element in GTA 6. In one trailer, a story character wears a shirt for the fictional Vice City Mantas, a nod to the Miami Dolphins, but it remains unclear whether the game will include American football or football as an optional activity.