US Soccer Appoints Orchestra as PR Agency of Record

US Soccer just made a move that says a lot about where professional sports is heading. The organization has appointed Orchestra as its official PR Agency of Record, a formal arrangement where a single firm takes the lead on all media and communications strategy.

The timing is deliberate. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to generate an estimated 6 billion total interactions across 16 host cities in three countries, US Soccer is not going to wing its communications. It needs a dedicated, professional partner with the scale to match the moment.

Why This Appointment Matters Beyond Soccer

Orchestra is not a new player in this space. The firm was formerly BerlinRosen Holdings, a well-known political and advocacy PR operation that rebranded in March 2024. Since then, it has aggressively expanded into consumer, sports, lifestyle, and entertainment communications, including acquiring Small Girls PR in October 2024 to strengthen its consumer storytelling capability.

With over 700 professionals across multiple practice areas, Orchestra now has the depth to run coordinated campaigns across different audiences simultaneously: American soccer fans, global media outlets, potential sponsors, and international broadcasters. That kind of parallel capacity is something most in-house communications teams simply cannot match alone.

The AOR Trend Is Not Accidental

US Soccer's move fits a clear pattern. In February 2026, Agassi Sports Entertainment appointed MKTG Sports + Entertainment as its global PR Agency of Record. In April, Esports Awards named Pivot Agency to the same role. Sports properties across the board are formalizing their communications infrastructure.

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The push is partly driven by market pressure. Global sports sponsorship is projected to hit US$103.9 billion in 2026. When that much money is in play, a sports organization's ability to manage its public image, attract and retain sponsors, and communicate effectively with fans directly affects its commercial value.

There is also a competitive dynamic reshaping the agency landscape. Publicis Groupe's acquisition of 160over90 from Endeavor created a large, consolidated sports marketing platform within a holding company structure. That consolidation is pushing some sports clients toward independent agencies like Orchestra, where they expect more dedicated senior attention rather than being bundled into a large portfolio.

The Communications Architecture Behind the World Cup Campaign

The appointment comes under the leadership of Catherine Newman, who joined US Soccer as Chief Marketing Officer in mid-2024 and expanded her role to Chief Marketing and Communications Officer in January 2025. That consolidation of marketing and communications under one executive is itself a signal: the organization recognizes that brand-building and media relations cannot operate in separate silos any longer.

As Newman has said about the organization's "Never Chase Reality" campaign, described as US Soccer's largest national campaign to date: "Soccer has always been about more than what happens on the field. It lives in our communities, in our fans, and in every person who believes in this team."

Translating that sentiment into earned media, managing the news cycle across 104 World Cup games, and positioning US Soccer's technology partnerships (like its biometric deal with Oura Health) for press pick-up requires infrastructure. That is what the Orchestra appointment is built to deliver.

What APAC Communicators Should Take Away

The AOR model is not unique to US sports. Across Asia Pacific, major regional PR firms like FINN Partners and SPRG have built similar full-service models serving clients who need coordinated communications across multiple markets and audiences.

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The US Soccer example illustrates something fundamental: when an organization's communications stakes go up, the agency-of-record structure is consistently how professional organizations respond. The question for any brand heading into a high-visibility period is whether its current communications setup matches the moment.