Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Christian Pulisic Star in 2026 Olympics Ad Ahead of Major Honor

Zlatan Ibrahimović is among the several soccer stars and celebrities to carry the Olympic flame.

Zlatan Ibrahimović (left) took center stage alongside Christian Pulisic (right) in a hype video ahead of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics. | Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images, AC Milan

AC Milan legend Zlatan Ibrahimović starred in an advertisement ahead of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics alongside U.S. men’s national team star Christian Pulisic before carrying the Olympic flame as part of the torch relay.

The greatest American to play for AC Milan and one of the club’s top players of all-time were central figures in the video promoting the Italian city’s appeal ahead of hosting the Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

“Milan needs no introduction, Milan is top,” Ibrahimović says at the opening of the video, before it goes on to show some of the key features of the city, highlighting culture, food and fashion. 

Pulisic features soon after, sipping an espresso, before offering a swift reminder of how Italians approach their coffee: “Here, espresso is a must,” he said. “But remember, cappuccino after 11 a.m.? No way.”

Welcome to Milan, welcome to our home. Welcome to the #MilanoCortina2026 Olympics ⛷️❄️@milanocortina26 pic.twitter.com/zbAteaRdbL

— AC Milan (@acmilan) January 23, 2026

San Siro, home to both AC Milan and Inter Milan, is set to host the Olympic opening ceremony, kicking off the first Olympics in Italy since the 2006 Olympics were held in nearby Turin. 

However, the famed Italian ground won’t host any other Olympic events; instead, it will be home to a highly anticipated Inter Milan vs. Juventus clash on Feb. 15, while Olympic events take place across the city and at other locations, including the mountain resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo and Trivigno. 

Milan itself will host the National Hockey League’s return to the Olympic men’s hockey tournament for the first time since Sochi 2014, as well as figure skating, speed skating and short track speed skating, before the closing ceremony takes place at the historic Verona Arena. 

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Ibrahimović Among Stars With Olympic Flame

THE FOOTBALL LEGEND WILL CARRY THE OLYMPIC TORCH ⚽️​@Ibra_official is officially a Torchbearer for Milano Cortina 2026!​#MilanoCortina2026 #Olympics #TeamTedofori #TorchRelay2026 #Zlatan #Ibrahimovic #2dicembre pic.twitter.com/hpM2UhlhOM

— Milano Cortina 2026 (@milanocortina26) December 2, 2025

Before the Olympic flame makes its way into the San Siro for the lighting of the Olympic cauldron, hundreds of torchbearers will have carried it across Greece and Italy in the lead-up to the Games. 

Ibrahimović is among the notable torch bearers and is one of several top soccer players taking part, alongside former MLS stars Giorgio Chiellini and Marco Di Vaio, as well as Robert Pires, Filippo Inzaghi, Fabio Cannavaro, Cesc Fàbregas, Alisha Lehmann and several others.

There also remains the possibility that another sporting star could light the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony, given the recent history of athletes to take part in the spectacle, including Zinedine Zidane handing off the flame to Rafael Nadal at Paris 2024, while Wayne Gretzky, Naomi Osaka and Michel Platini all had that honor at previous Olympics.  

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