Alexander Theuma

Founder and Editor-in-chief

BackFuture

Having built the largest SaaS Community in Europe and expanding into US and beyond with SaaStock I've made the move into Venture Capital to add further value to the early stage B2B SaaS founders with capital and pay it forward LPs, enabling the future of SaaS.

General Partner

SaaStock

Our mission is to accelerate the growth of AI & SaaS companies by helping them connect, adapt, and thrive in the AI-powered future of software.

SaaStock is the Community/Conference where SaaS founders and their teams master the shift to AI-native growth.
In an era defined by automation, velocity, and complexity, we bring clarity through world-class conferences, strategic content, and high-intent connections that drive real business outcomes.
Whether you’re building your first AI feature or rearchitecting your go-to-market, SaaStock gives you the frameworks, relationships, and energy to scale with confidence.

Founder

SaaStock Founder Membership (SFM)

A Private Members Organisation of SaaS Founders , on the journey to $100MM ARR, helping each other scale faster together through supportive peer groups, network and workshops

The SaaS Revolution Show

The SaaS Revolution Show is a weekly podcast for SaaS Founders who are on their journey to $10MM ARR+ We interview those that are doing it or have done it to share their lessons and advice.

Podcast Host

SaaScribe

SaaScribe is an online publication for the SaaS Startup Community by the SaaS Startup Community. The vision is to provide a forest of awesome content around B2B SaaS that will help those within the SaaS Startup community learn every day in the hope that we all become SaaS experts.

I also host a weekly podcast, The SaaS Revolution Show, talking SaaS with the leading lights of the SaaS Industry.

SaaScribe organises local SaaS Meetups and a larger event is in the works. Watch this space

Odin

Odin (Formerly Parallels Service Provider Business) is a worldwide leader in hosting and cloud service enablement. Odin enables service providers to rapidly launch and efficiently deliver the most profitable Cloud services by automating the delivery of the broadest set of solutions demanded by small businesses.

I was the Sales lead for our Odin Service Provider Automation platform, focusing on new strategic opportunities, within Northern Europe.

Key Account Manager - Strategic Accounts - EMEA

SIPhon Networks

SIPHON focuses solely on Unified Communications (UC) technology and specifically addresses innovative new solutions that deliver significant value to our customers in terms of increased revenues, improved efficiency and cost reductions. We do this by combining world class solutions from key technology vendors in the advanced VoIP and UC marketplace and by delivering a very comprehensive Consultancy and Services package with each product delivered. We have developed strong relationships with our technology partners and each partner is a leading player in their technology domain allowing SIPHON Networks to offer multiple best-in-breed solutions. 

SIPHON = Unified Communications Innovation & Delivery

I was responsible for multiple core network products and service sales (Acme Packet, Broadsoft, IPTEGO, Leonid Systems)

Sales Manager

Applied Communications

Applied Communications offer Business Development and Professional Services to Vendors and Carriers who wish to establish or enhance sales presence in EMEA. Applied has a proven team in starting new vendor business in Europe and has specific expertise in IP and SIP based technology. We offer flexible work packages and have competence across sales, technical sales, engineering, project management, training and recruitment. Our commercial model is directly linked to performance and results and we are already adding value to several technology vendors and carriers, today.

Covergence

Sales Manager for Northern Europe for Access Edge Session Border Controller Vendor, Covergence Inc

Sales Manager Northern Europe

NexTone

NexTone were a Session Border Controller Vendor at the vanguard of VoIP peering. I was responsible for Inside Sales for EMEA.

Inside Sales Manager

Helping SaaS Founders grow their businesses to $10M+ ARR

I started SaaStock in 2015 with a simple idea: give SaaS founders a real space to connect, learn, and scale faster–together.

Fast forward to today: SaaStock has become the global home for SaaS founders who are serious about growth.

We've hosted thousands of founders, VCs, and execs from Dublin to Austin, from seed stage to unicorn. We’ve built a community that doesn’t just celebrate scale, it shares the hard truths, the breakthroughs, and the lessons you only get by being in the room where it happens.

Before SaaStock, I spent 11 years in sales, getting my hands dirty, chasing targets, closing deals, and learning what real GTM pressure feels like. That experience taught me: there’s no shortcut to growth. You need the right people around you, the right mindset, and a willingness to evolve — especially now, in an AI First world.

Today, I'm focused on three things:

Growing SaaStock across Europe and the US as the leading platform for SaaS founders.

Building a new generation of founder-driven, AI-enabled companies.

Using the SaaS Revolution Show Podcast to tell the real stories — the wins and the war stories — from the frontlines of SaaS.

SaaS is changing fast.

I'm here for the builders who want to change with it and win.

If you're scaling a SaaS company, or investing in one, let's chat.

Our purpose is to make a real difference to the lives and companies of the SaaS community

Most SaaS companies fail within the first three years due to lack of runway, lack of product market fit and lack of founder experience in managing a business.
SaaStock helps B2B SaaS Founders on the journey to $10mill ARR supercharge their growth by connecting founders with VCs to help extend runway, learn from industry experts and build pipeline.
We do this through or Physical and virtual conferences, our founder membership program, SaaStock local community gatherings and media.
We are the only media and events business that focuses on SaaS founders scaling to $10mill ARR. This focus enables us to provide the highest quality events, content and connections
For founders in this stage of their journey.


Linkedin reminds me today its 10 year anniversary of SaaStock.

10 years since i took the leap to become a first time founder and creating an event and community business, something i’d never done before.

The first SaaStock was magical whilst it filled me with anxiety throughout.

Timing was everything. 

We’ve had tailwinds and faced headwinds.

10 years of growing the business, building a team, expanding internationally.

Showing up every day.

2 years during covid of trying to survive and providing value to our community when there was no in person. Never giving up.

Seeing some new products fail.

Seeing SaaStock Founder Membership (SFM) deliver value.

Working with amazing colleagues present and past.

10 years of looking forward to tomorrow on a Sunday night.

10 years of some exceptional memories and friendships forged.

It’s been hard. It can be exhausting. I’m getting some grey hairs (probs just age). I’ve put on weight, i’ve lost weight.

Yet the Why we do what we do. The purpose is so compelling and rewarding. I feel like I have the best job in the world (most days).

And whilst Linkedin says 10 years. It’s really day one again.

We’ve re-imagined SaaStock. A new program centred around 1:1 meetings and peer to peer learning.

It’s just the start of a new era at one of the most exciting times in B2B Software.

The fire is just as bright as it was 10 years ago.

Love to all our customers and SaaStockers over the years. I’m ready to build the future with you.

Running the largest 1:1 Meetings event in AI & SaaS

SaaS is dead!

Unless you’re actually building it.

Last night I sat at a table of SaaS founders where "dead" looked more like “doubling.”

One founder — fully bootstrapped — was at $8M ARR in April.
 Last night? $13M ARR.

Another I hadn’t seen in a year.
Now sitting at $16M ARR.

No outside capital.
No hype cycle.

Just leaning into tailwinds, building systems, and shipping value.

Add in founders at $5M ARR, $7M ARR — same story:
Quiet execution > loud predictions.

It’s funny — people keep declaring SaaS over.

Meanwhile, the builders I know are compounding.

There’s nothing better than breaking bread with founders who are doing the work.

(7) Post | Feed | LinkedIn

li_at

JSESSIONID

We just closed our first ever 3-year deal.

10 years of SaaStock. Thousands of sponsors.
But never this.

Sure — we’ve always had loyal partners. Some have come back 7 or 8 years in a row, no questions asked.

But every time we tried to turn that into a multi-year commitment…
it ended up becoming “let’s just renew next year.”

So what changed?

The product changed. Not the pitch. Not the deck. The product.

Our Hosted Meetings program delivered more value — faster — than anything we’ve ever built.

Not for everyone. But for the ones it works for… it really works.

This customer ran 20 hosted meetings at SaaStock Europe last month.
They closed deals on site.
They got instant ROI.

And that’s why they just committed to:
 🔥 300 hosted meetings over the next 3 years
 🔥 at this year’s rate
 🔥 locked in

A 3-year deal wasn’t something we pushed.

It was something the results pulled into existence.

Product > persuasion.
Outcome > optimism.
Proof > promises.

On to the next one. 🙌

Look who's talking.

Or should I say speaking at SaaStock USA 2026, next April in Austin.

We've just published the first 10 speaker drop and I hope you like it as much as I do:

Manny Medina, Co-founder & CEO, Paid
Nathan Latka, Founder & CEO, Founderpath
Kady Srinivasan, CMO, You.com
Krish Ramineni, Co-founder & CEO, Fireflies.ai 
Adam Robinson, Founder & CEO, RB2B
Colin Nederkoorn, Founder & CEO, Customer.io
Jen Igartua, CEO Go Nimbly
Tanay Kothari, Co-founder & CEO, Wispr Flow
Richard White, Founder & CEO, Fathom
Anne Giviskos, SVP - Strategic Finance Leader & CAO, Navan

A mix of Unicorn Founders, $100M ARR companies, Bootstrappers and VC backed businesses. GTM & Finance leaders and dare I say influencers.

Something they all have in common? They are building the future of B2B Software.

I'm also a customer of 5 out of the 10, which had nothing to do with their selection.

Join me in the front row for their sessions at SaaStock USA in April, as well as Meetup our 1:1 meetings program and Tabletalks, our peer to peer learning program.

Save the dates, get your tickets, learn and meet with the best at SaaStock USA 2026.

Team-GPT

Founding Partner

Nextoria

Nextoria is a global VC backed M&A advisory firm and technology platform on a mission to help founders of e-commerce and tech companies get acquired by qualified buyers. Leveraging data, technology, and extensive market expertise we work with business owners to advise them on their exit strategy and get them the best exit terms possible at the right time.

Co-Founder & CEO

WeWork

The new company leadership invited me to stay with the business and help with the turnaround of WeWork. I was promoted to become the Global Head of Strategic Growth and functional leader of our Portfolio Sales organisation in Europe, The Middle East and Africa, responsible for all large commercial transactions including those with our Fortune 500 accounts. The team generates more than 60% of the overall company revenue.

I also started leading Leadership, Negotiation and Deal Closing classes across our global Sales team of 2,500 people.

Global Head Of Strategic Growth

After building from scratch the Strategic Growth teams in Europe, The Middle East, Africa and Australia (50+ direct and indirect reports and 120+ people involved in the day to day operations of the team as per Q3 of 2019) and supporting the launching of the Strategic Growth teams in China, India and the US throughout 2017/2018, at the end of 2018 I was promoted to Senior Director of Sales for the region in addition to my Strategic Growth leadership role. 

By Q1 of 2020 (my last quarter as a leader of the Strategic Growth and Medium and Large Business Sales teams) the organisation I was in charge of generating 57% of the Total Contract Value for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. 

In 2019, my team was responsible for the launch of the "Headquarters by WeWork" product in Europe, The Middle East and Africa. It's a new product line focused on businesses with more than 50 employees that are seeking a completely private, branded and fully customised Headquarter for their business that can go from a single dedicated floor to an entire dedicated office building.

I have led the coordination between the regional Product, Technology, Real Estate, Operations, Marketing and Sales teams for the launch of the first Headquarters by WeWork buildings in the three continents that fall within the region. Subsequently, my team has been in charge of the revenue generated from this new product line and in our first quarter we have delivered the largest Headquarters by WeWork deal globally- a fully dedicated HQ building for 867 people.

Head of Strategic Growth & Senior Director of Sales EMEA & Australia

Built from scratch and led a multidisciplinary Sales, Expansion and Growth team responsible to deliver 35%+ of the company revenue in Europe, The Middle East, Africa and Australia. 

The team is composed of people with diverse professional background- business development and outbound/inbound sales executives, account managers, financial analysts, architects and product professionals. 

The team is responsible for our business expansion and further growth across Europe, Africa Middle East and Australia regions with a specific focus on revenue generated from large corporations and fast growing scale ups. In addition to setting the team operations in multiple countries across the region, I supported China, India and the US in establishing the Strategic Growth teams in their respective regions.

Director of Strategic Growth and Corporate Sales EMEA & Australia

In mid 2016 the WeWork Enterprise team was established and the goal was to target and bring to WeWork large corporations including Fortune 500 companies. I was the first London based member of the Enterprise team covering the entire EMEA region. From July 2016 to January 2017 the sales generated from the Enterprise segment increased from less than 5% of our total sales for the region to more than 30%, which means a pipeline worth 200+ million dollars. Under my lead some great companies like Deloitte, Barclays, Virgin Media, Munich Re, Christie's, UBS, Nielsen, Nokia, Lloyds Bank, AllianceData (Epsilon), Adecco,  Cimpress (Vistaprint), Subway, AbINBev, GoPro, Network Rail, Centrica, Skanska and others have joined WeWork.

Enterprise Sales Manager EMEA & Australia

Part of a small team responsible for the execution of the aggressive growth and global expansion strategy that the company undertook in 2015. In two years the company presence expanded from only 5 cities in a few countries to more than 50+ cities on five continents. Since I joined, our monthly sales have increased more than 30 times to hit 1+ billion in annual revenue, which has been one of the areas of primary interest for the team.

Global Expansion Lead

TripAdvisor

Led product and business development with Hank Hudepohl - Vice President of Strategy at TripAdvisor.

Product and Business Development Strategy

Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority

• Worked with the Business Diversification department and the Mohegan Tribal Council on a large business development project with focus on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
• Researched industry benchmarks, best practices and KPIs of successful Innovation Center launches through depth-interviews with industry experts, innovation centers and accelerators directors, and entrepreneurs within established innovation centers.
• Created and presented implementation plan to the Tribal Government and to the Chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority.

(The project was part of an academically sponsored program)

Business Diversification Consultant

VAPTECH

VAPTECH is a global supplier of products and services for hydropower plants, the metal forming industry, biomass processing and automation systems. Founded in 1914, VAPTECH supplies products and services in more than 40 countries around the world.

Led VAPTECH’s global expansion in several regions worldwide and was also in charge of International Partnerships and M&A opportunities. My main focus was on creating long-term value for the company by assessing markets with high potential; setting up our operations in these markets including our Business Development and Sales teams; exploring new business and M&A opportunities; establishing business and political partnerships that would enhance our value proposition; crafting and executing marketing campaigns; generating high profile leads; negotiating and closing complex deals; implementing multimillion dollar projects. The successful accomplishment of above goals translated into a number of successful partnerships and multimillion dollar revenue streams generated in new markets.

Global Head of Business Development and Expansion

VAPTECH in Albania http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBHdAM9afxM

Responsibilities: Acquire a complete understanding of the Albanian hydropower market by collecting data and performing a detailed market analysis. Acquire in-depth knowledge of the legal frame that regulates the river concessions, permits for HPP development, green energy trading etc. and assist the Albanian government to make this framework more efficient and responsive to the needs of the market. Secure investors, collaborate with banks and financial institutions and build close relationships with institutions like Ministry of Economy and Energetics and HPP design studios. Opening a representation office in the city of Tirana, building a small but efficient team and creating a durable on-time structure, to support and develop the business of VAPTECH in Albania. Building a VAPTECH maintainance center in Albania, which will offer technical support and management for HPPs. 

Key Accomplishments: 
- As of mid-2013, secured 8 contracts between VAPTECH and Albanian clients for the supply of electro-mechanical equipment for HPP projects and consulting services for a total value exceeding $12,000,000. 
- In October 2012 VAPTECH signed a memorandum with a leading HPP investor for the supply, maintenance and management of other 3 HPPs. By the end of 2012, there will be a fully operative VAPTECH HPP in Albania. 
- Organized VAPTECH’s premiere event for Albania with the participation of almost 200 Albanian companies and of the Bulgarian and Albanian Prime Ministers. All leading Albanian media covered the event. 

These accomplishments made VAPTECH the leader in small and medium HPP in Albania well ahead of initial estimations.

Country Manager Albania, Italy and Switzerland

Riviera Kakome Investment Company

Riviera Kakome IC is a Special Purpose Vehicle focused on the development of a international 5-star sea resort on the Ionian Sea coast in Southern Albania. 

- Total investment: 75,000,000 euro 
- Spot size: 7,750,000 ft2 
- Build up area: 700,000+ ft2 

The project was backed by the world leading tour operator Club Med, France and by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. 

Key achievements:

- Successfully led a very complex privatisation procedure and secured for the company arguably the best sea front spot in the entire region. 

- The project was presented at the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) 2012 in Berlin to Four Season, Hilton, Rezidor HG (Radisson), Marriott, Six Senses, Starwood Hotels (Sheraton) and leading RE and leisure hospitality consulting companies among which HVS, Horwath HTL, Colliers International, Leisure Dreams UK submitted official proposals to get involved with the conceptual development of the project.

Managing Director

Balkan Roads JSC

“Balkan Roads” JSC is part of “Holding Roads” PLC, which is a leading Bulgarian company represented on a national and international scale. The company has inherited more than 115 years of tradition in the field of designing, construction and maintenance of many types of infrastructure facilities. 

I was appointed CEO of Balkan Roads JSC since inception. My main goal was to facilitate the successfully entrance and future growth of “Holding Roads” PLC (latter “PST Holding” PLC) in the West Balkans region. Some of my duties were:

- Prepare a yearly detailed investment program and operating budget.
- Lead all registration and licensing procedures.
- Establish a company org chart and lead the HR process for all key positions.
- Prepare an extensive Due Diligence Report, which provides a comprehensive picture of the local legislation related to construction activity, tender procedures, donors and investors in roads’ construction, tax system etc.   
- Develop and implement a marketing, acquisition and institution-approaching strategy. 
- Propose a M&A plan for the acquisition of local companies in order to extend the geographical range of action.
- Develop of a broad and reliable network of subcontractors in every area of the region.
- Ensuring the eligibility of Balkan Roads and of Holding Roads in the tenders offered by all main donors and investors in the roads’ construction sector in Albania and the region.
- Attracting leading Western European companies as partners for joint participation in the biggest infrastructural projects in Albania.
- Enabling the coexistence and interaction between the Bulgarian and Albanian business practices.

Key achievements: 

- Participation in more than 40 tenders for construction and reconstruction of roads and other infrastructure facilities. 
- Procurement, Management and Implementation of 11 projects for roads reconstruction. Total value $24,000,000+

CEO and Member of Board of Directors

Phrasebase.com

A social network and collaborative community of language exchange partners engaged in helping each other learn foreign languages.

In 2007 we reached 250,000+ active subscribers and almost 1 million translations prior to exiting the business.

Co-Founder

INNFOR - Milan, Italy

Consulting services and external audits for the Italian Stock Exchange. In brief, the activity was focused on optimizing the revenues of stock exchange entities generated from the sale and distribution of stock exchange quotations and other price-sensitive information.

I reached the level of a Senior Analyst on a long-term project-based contract.

After an extensive training performed by the company executives, my duties were to inspect Italian Stock Exchange clients like Reuters, Bloomberg, IS-Teledata etc. on how they resell quotations and if they are correct with the ISE. The controls were performed by applying sophisticated audit technologies including statistical analysis models and IT research on the distribution of data information. I acquired a vast network and knowledge on the financial markets’ organization in Italy with a focus on the functioning of the Italian Stock Exchange.

Senior Associate

I'm a serial entrepreneur with a background in global expansion, sales, SaaS, and M&A. I was part of the leadership team that scaled WeWork from a startup to a global company with 15,000 employees across 130+ markets. I am also an Angel investor and advisor to U.S. and EU tech and e-commerce startups.

Jeko Kolev

“The reason you got wealthy is that the UK handed you all you needed: the education, the infrastructure, the networks, the stability. So shut up, and pay back what you owe.”

You see a version of this comment under every post about the debate around Revolut’s founder Nik Storonsky, and other wealthy founders leaving the UK because of rising taxes. And somehow, these comments get tons of likes.

Let me tell you a story...

I am a serial entrepreneur and investor living in London with my wife and our two small children. We live in one of the nicest neighbourhoods in the city, yet our bike with two child seats is stolen every 3 to 6 months.

The bike has trackers, so I head out on my usual chase to recover it. I always end up in front of a house on some shady street. I call the police and ask for a patrol. They never send one, offering excuses that make no sense.

So what do I do?

I knock. The thief opens. I put on my thickest Eastern European accent and calmly say, like some Tony Soprano of the East:

“Hello, my friend. You have my bicycle, and I am taking it back. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.”

It works every time. Being of Bulgarian origin helps the performance, but the real trick is staying unnervingly calm, because being calm in such a situation suggests that you are a crazy person, which makes even tough guys hesitate... they can already picture you pulling a Molotov out of your jacket pocket. Last time, three men straight out of a Guy Ritchie movie (plus two pit bulls) became instantly cooperative.

They even had to ask me the color of the bike because they had so many stolen ones in their yard. When I said “light blue Tern,” one replied, “Oh no... that one is dark blue now.” They had stolen it three hours earlier and already repainted it.

After returning home, I always give the police all they need to make the arrest - they never do.

Back to taxes.

I believe in balanced redistribution, but even before the latest bill, we already had the highest tax burden since WW2. Yet I still risk getting stabbed 3 times a year because the state cannot provide basic safety for my family or our property.

So, where does money create more value?

In the hands of entrepreneurs who have proven they can create it and reinvest it into young founders building high-value jobs? Or in the hands of a system that burns £20 billion a year on policing and still delivers this level of public safety?

Imagine giving a startup £20B per round for 5 rounds, to solve crime. £100B in five years would produce crime-prediction drones, AI patrol networks, robotic first responders...

We live in a highly connected world, competing for top talent. Many global cities offer great schools, top healthcare, and vibrant communities, and some have close to zero taxes. Today, business is done remotely, so if a state pushes too far, people will leave. In the end, a shortsighted government drives away the very people who made the country successful in the first place.

Co-Founder & CEO @ Nextoria I Founding Partner @ Juma I ex-WeWork

How do you feel about this statement from Musk?


From my Nextoria lenses, I can say that in M&A we spend our days solving one core problem: fragmentation kills value.

Unifying systems, markets, decision making and talent is what creates scale, stability and growth. Integration always needs adjustments (just as the EU may need to continually adjust its course), but no company has ever said, “our last M&A deal brought integration challenges, so maybe we should break the business into smaller pieces to make it stronger.”

Companies consolidate to compete globally. Nations do too.

graphical user interface, text, application

What a standout Day 1 at the Tekpon AI Summit 2025!

Stepping off stage, I am still taking in how special today has been!

A huge thank you to the Tekpon team for the honour of being featured on the cover of Tekpon Magazine and for inviting me to moderate the “How AI is Changing Go To Market for SaaS Companies” panel in front of more than 1,000 founders and executives who flew in from over 40 countries. 

Frank Sondors 🥓, Bill Stathopoulos, Vaios Gkitsas, and Osman Koc, thank you for making this panel one of the highlights of the event.

Sharing the stage with global leaders in GTM and AI, and hearing what they are truly testing, breaking, and learning inside their companies, has been an absolute privilege. Special thanks to:

Stefan Smulders, Todd Paris, Yanay Sela, Charles Tenot, Marijana Gligoric, Kazik Pietka, Abdul Mukati, Anastasia Ionescu (Staniloiu), Cenk Tukel, Elizaveta Chugunova, Krzysztof Szyszkiewicz, Valentin Radu, Alex Baldovin, Angeley Mullins, Mike Korba, Alex Oprisan, Bohumil Pokstefl, Daniel Deaconu, Tom Hunt, Alex Moraru, Sara Maldon, Boris Murdjev, Vlad Petre 🇬🇧🇪🇺, Jona Apelbaum, Petru Ioan Pop, Marijana Gligoric, Alexandra Voinea, Ilie Andrei-Leonard, Vincent Jong, Krzysztof Szyszkiewicz, Angeley Mullins, Alex Oprisan, Ruxandra Ion, Felix Crisan.

Alexandru Stan and Cristian Dina, you are rapidly becoming the European powerhouse for AI events. I am genuinely lucky to call you friends, and incredibly proud of what you are building.

CEO @ Juma | 1,500,000+ AI students on Udemy

You got into marketing because you love the work. 

The strategy. The creative. 
The moment a campaign clicks and everything comes together.

But that’s buried. 
Dozens of tools. Hundreds of workflows. Endless details.

You spend more time managing systems than creating. 
More time switching contexts than turning ideas to life. 
More time explaining what you're doing than actually doing it.

This isn't what you signed up for.

Marketing should be simpler. 
Much more delightful.
More like... Juma!

-

Juma is the workspace where your team does their best work.

Everything you need to plan, create, and launch lives in one place. 
Your team has the same context. The same tools. 
The same ability to move fast. 

A place where work stops feeling like a burden.
Experience the joy of marketing.

Think together, move as one!
Welcome to Juma.

juma.ai

Wild situation unfolding around FIFA’s World Cup 2026 visuals!

The first official poster for the next World Cup they shared didn’t include Cristiano Ronaldo (image on the left), which instantly triggered a storm from his global fanbase. FIFA tried to fix it by deleting the original poster from their social media and releasing a new version that adds him back, but also highlights the Moroccan goal, the team celebration after eliminating Portugal, and a big central image of Messi holding the World Cup trophy. If the goal of FIFA was to ease tensions, this feels like a step in the wrong direction.

Now there are rumours of a “middle draft” of the poster (image on the right) - between the original and second version - circulating online, and it only adds to the impression that this wasn’t handled with much care or was actually done intentionally.

For an organisation that manages one of the most passionate audiences in the world, this kind of misstep is remarkable (unless they were actively looking for controversy). From a PR and marketing standpoint it’s a reminder that timing, sequencing and narrative control matter a lot, especially when the audience is emotionally invested and hyper reactive.

You’d imagine they would be a bit more careful with the emotions of tens of millions of people who follow every detail.

Curious to see how this one develops.

No alternative text description for this image

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Jeko Kolev

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The Battle

Alexander Theuma

Jeko Kolev

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