Heineken sticks a fan in the loneliest seat in the stadium then sits Xavi next to him

Heineken marked Saturday’s Champions League final with an activation built on a single chair.

The beer brand’s latest “Fans Have More Friends” stunt put a competition winner in the Puskás Aréna’s most isolated seat, then sat Xavi Hernández next to him.

The brand identified the most isolated seat in Budapest’s Puskás Aréna (a lone spot with no neighbours either side) and made it the prize in a competition run with football creator The Padded Seat, which catalogues the best and worst places to watch a match.

The winner, Forest Robinson, signed up to attend the final alone.

On arriving at the seat, high in the stadium and surrounded by thousands of strangers, he was joined by Barcelona and Spain great Xavi Hernández, who revealed a second seat built into the original, converting the solo spot into a shared one.

The pair watched the game from there before moving to Heineken’s Skybox and pitchside for the post-match celebrations as PSG lifted the trophy.

The work extends Heineken’s “Fans Have More Friends” platform, developed with LePub and built on the idea that fandom connects strangers quickly. PR agency The Romans supported the activation.

Nabil Nasser, global head of the Heineken brand, said going to a match alone “does not mean experiencing it alone,” pointing to the energy of rival fans he once ended up sitting among.

LePub global chief executive Bruno Bertelli said the brief was to turn a cultural insight into something people could recognise and want to be part of.

Heineken says it will upgrade more solo seats across Champions League stadia next season.