There are football tournaments. And then there are brand moments.
The inaugural Como Cup, launched this month by Como 1907, is not just a friendly fixture on the lakeside. It is a perfectly executed extension of the club’s growing reputation as one of the most creatively led institutions in modern football.
This cup isn’t about lifting silverware in the final. It’s about raising brand equity.
And they’ve done it with style.
A Club in Creative Motion
For the past three years, Como 1907 has been quietly, confidently building a reputation that goes far beyond the pitch. Backed by ownership with experience in both global sport and brand development, the club has been crafting a narrative around purpose, design, and lifestyle.
Their moves have been subtle but smart.
They appointed former Chelsea captain Dennis Wise as president, sent Gianluca Zambrotta back home to contribute to the vision, and brought in American investor ownership with a long-term mindset. But more importantly, they’ve rebuilt the club’s identity from the ground up.
Como 1907 is no longer just a club. It’s a cultural brand that happens to play football.
Their kit designs reflect that shift, minimalist, elegant, with a heavy nod to Italian tailoring and tasteful restraint. Their social content is cinematic. Their voice is considered. And the location? It sells itself. Lake Como, with its global resonance and luxury associations, does half the branding for you. But the other half has been architected deliberately.
The Tournament as Platform
Hosting a pre-season cup might seem like a minor event for most clubs. But for Como, it was a calculated step in evolving how the brand is perceived. The Como Cup isn’t about the results but the experience.
This is brand strategy dressed in a matchday kit.
Invite globally respected teams like Celtic and Ajax. Lean into the prestige. Let the lakeside venue do its part. But bring everything together with a design system that feels more Art Basel than Serie A.
The Como Cup was designed to feel more like a cultural event than a football fixture. From the typography to the promotional visuals, the whole thing felt editorial, almost like a Monocle or Kinfolk take on tournament branding. Calm, sharp, international. It has all the hallmarks of a brand thinking beyond football’s usual packaging.
The Aesthetic of Ambition
The visual execution of the Como Cup branding is clean and modern, but with just enough personality to set it apart. It doesn’t scream football.
Even the crest treatment in promotional assets is pared back. Visuals with natural light, soft tones, and considered movement to reflect the serenity of Lake Como itself. There were no fire emojis, no glitch transitions. Just taste.
In a digital world where clubs chase virality, Como went the other way. They played the long game. They knew that identity matters more than hype. That when something looks and feels this thoughtful, it doesn’t need to shout. It just needs to show up well.
The Bigger Play
The Como Cup is just the beginning. It’s clear this is a club with aspirations far bigger than than their size. The signs are already there: international owners, creative hires, global-facing content, and now a brand asset like the Como Cup that they can repeat, refine, and scale each year.
It’s easy to miss what’s happening if you’re only looking at the league table. But if you zoom in on the creative direction, it’s clear: Como 1907 are building a brand, not just a team.
And in the era where every football club is trying to become a lifestyle brand, they’ve quietly moved ahead by thinking more like a design studio than a sports franchise.
They’re not shouting about it. They don’t need to. They’ve got Lake Como, great design, and a playbook that most clubs haven’t even opened yet.
Shot of the good stuff
