NFL and Snapchat Use AR to Kick Off 2023 Football Season

To celebrate the kickoff of the 2023 football season, the NFL partnered with Snapchat on augmented reality experiences to stoke fans’ excitement.

To start, the new NFL Kickoff Lens can be customized to a person’s favorite team. It places a truck, grill and other tailgating-related objects into the world in front of the user through AR, even allowing them to play a quick game of cornhole as their 3D Bitmoji cheers them on.

The revamped NFL Live Jersey Lens, meanwhile, allows football fans to virtually wear the official jerseys of all 32 NFL teams. The lens utilizes Snap’s Live Garment Transfer Technology to allow the jerseys to realistically move with users as they move in the real world.

The NFL Live Jersey Lens will also offer a link to the NFL Shop website, where fans can purchase the jerseys they’ve virtually tried on. This lens will be available through search on Snapchat and through the NFL’s Snapchat profile.

“Football is back, and we could not be more excited to offer new and innovative ways for Snapchatters to express their fandom and engage with their favorite NFL teams,” said Tara Carey, manager of sports partnerships at Snapchat. “From augmented reality experiences to custom Bitmojis and more, we look forward to continuing our partnership with the NFL to bring fans closer to the action all season long.” 

In addition to these AR Lenses, three NFL shows will be available through Stories and Spotlight in the Snapchat app. For instance, the NFL Highlights show will have multiple weekly episodes covering the top football moments from each week.

A Spotlight Challenge will also run Sept. 7-13, encouraging Snapchat users to use the app’s voiceover tool to show off their best NFL commentator voice for a chance to win a share of $10,000 for creating the top Snap. Additional Spotlight Challenges will launch throughout the NFL season.

Finally, the NFL app has also been updated with AR lenses using Snap AR. For example, one lens allows fans to select an NFL team and jersey number to create a virtual bobblehead.