The Chinese-owned vertical entertainment platform is launching a 16-title AI-powered microdrama franchise featuring Neymar during the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

Brazilian soccer star Neymar has licensed his likeness to FlareFlow, the international microdrama platform owned by Chinese digital publisher COL Group. Neymar will appear in a 16-title franchise of AI-assisted vertical series timed to coincide with the FIFA Men’s World Cup, the company said.

COL announced the partnership on Tuesday at APOS, the Asia-Pacific media industry conference in Bali, describing it as the first major example of a globally recognized sports star collaborating at scale with AI-driven vertical storytelling. The first six titles are set to premiere worldwide on FlareFlow between June 19 and 22, with the remaining ten rolling out throughout the rest of the football season. The lead title, The Way Back to Glory, debuts on June 19.

The series lean into the exaggerated, hook-driven style typical of the microdrama format, casting Neymar as a central figure across revenge-and-redemption narratives. Titles include Fake Neymar, Real God, The Limping Janitor Is the True World Football King, and Soccer Star Kidnapped Into the Galaxy Cup: Score or Die!, the last of which places the player in an intergalactic tournament where “victory is humanity’s only chance for survival.”

COL describes the franchise as “premium” content produced through “AI-powered” live-action workflows, though it has not specified how much of Neymar’s on-screen presence is filmed versus AI-generated.

The company is also clearly hoping Neymar returns to the pitch soon. The 34-year-old was named in Brazil’s 26-man World Cup squad but missed the opening match on June 13 against Morocco due to injury, with his return date still uncertain.

The deal represents an effort by one of the leading microdrama platforms to expand the genre’s typical audience. The format’s core users skew female, with COL’s internal data identifying women aged 20 to 35 as its primary audience. By partnering with a global football star with more than 220 million social media followers, the company aims to attract more male viewers. One storyline reportedly sends Neymar on a supernatural quest to win over five powerful women or risk losing his football talent.

FlareFlow chief marketing officer Timothy Oh, who is scheduled to appear on an APOS panel on microdrama strategy, described the launch as “the true dawn of our Vertical 2.0 strategy,” marking a push to broaden the platform’s audience base.

COL Group, a Beijing-based digital publisher listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, entered the microdrama space in 2021. Its most significant stake in the sector is a 49% holding in California-based Crazy Maple Studio, creator of ReelShort, widely credited with popularizing vertical microdramas in the U.S. FlareFlow is COL’s own international platform, launched in April 2025. The company says it hosts around 5,200 series in 14 languages and has 33 million registered users, with strong growth across the U.S., Germany, Australia, and Canada.

Like many microdrama platforms backed by Chinese capital, COL continues to operate at a loss while pursuing rapid global expansion. The company reported a net loss of roughly 226 million RMB ($31 million) in the first half of 2025, driven by overseas marketing and content production costs. ReelShort, despite generating around $400 million in revenue in 2024, also remains unprofitable, according to research from Media Partners Asia, organizer of APOS.

The Way Back to Glory is set to premiere on June 19, the same day Brazil plays Haiti. If Neymar makes his tournament debut around that time, the platform may well capture a viral crossover moment between sport and entertainment.