⚽As World Cup fever builds, brands are creatively scoring points with their own fans
As 2026 FIFA World Cup officially gets going on June 11, all kinds of consumer brands — fast-food chains, jewelry sellers, toymakers, snack and beverage producers and fashion brands are creatively jockeying for ways to cash in on this major global marketing event that promises to grab a big chunk of the world’s attention over the coming weeks.
How big? More than 4 in 10 adults worldwide will follow the World Cup, according to YouGov, a market research and data analytics firm.
The Soccer World Cup is the most-watched single sporting event globally and this year’s tournament will have 48 teams from around the world compete in more than 100 matches involving over 1,000 players in total. The matches will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico with the final match taking place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.
On the eve of FIFA World Cup 2026, check out these eye-popping stats in a report from Bank of America Global Research:
The tournament is projected to engage more than 6 billion people globally, up from 5 billion in 2022.
A FIFA-WTO study estimates that the 2026 World Cup could add about $41 billion to global GDP and support more than 800,000 jobs, including 185,000 jobs in the US.
The final match of the tournament could consume up to 7% of global internet traffic.
Sectors best positioned to benefit from World Cup-driven demand include travel & lodging, beverages, sportswear, restaurants, broadcasting, social media, and online betting.
For brands across all of these sectors, and others, the gigantic marketing opportunity that comes with a tie-in to the World Cup can’t be ignored.
To that end, here’s a sampling of how brands are capitalizing on this year’s World Cup fever:
FIFA is sparking World Cup fandom on Roblox: FIFA is chasing young and adult soccer fans during World Cup 2026 with the launch of “FIFA Super Soccer on Roblox.” FIFA, and gaming and media company Gamefam, have partnered on an activation that brings the biggest sports event of the year to life on Gen Alpha’s virtual platform, Roblox. As the official home of FIFA on Roblox, FIFA Super Soccer features all 48 participating national teams, a FIFA World Cup 2026 stadium, gameplay quests, exclusive player rewards and connections to the tournament including live standings and scoreboards. The action in FIFA Super Soccer will also extend across five other games.
World Cup 2026 Squishmallows: Thank FIFA for a fresh spin on the viral Squishmallows plush toy that first appeared in 2017, and has sold more than 485 million worldwide. The three 8-inch plush toys inspired by the FIFA World Cup 2026, and its host countries, include Clutch the Bald Eagle, Maple the Moose, and Zayu the Jaguar.
Add some sparkle and patriotic fervor to watch-day fits: If ever there was an event tailor-made for adding some sparkle to game-day excitement it’s the Soccer World Cup, and one viral beauty brand is all over it. Fazit, maker of glitter freckle makeup patches, has partnered with beauty lounge franchise Blushington (that provides hair blowouts, professional makeup applications and other services) to provide Fazit’s Team Soccer Collection Patches as an exclusive $15 add-on service available beginning June 11th, the opening day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, across Blushington’s lounge locations in New York City, Houston, and Boca Raton.
“At Blushington, we’re always excited by the intersection of beauty and sports, and the way those worlds come together through culture, identity, and self-expression,” said Nicki Maron, Co-Founder of Blushington.
Chipotle wants to look the part: Chipotle CMG 0.00%↑ will launch a “Matchday BOGO” on June 11, giving fans who wear a soccer jersey after 3 p.m. local time on Thursday a buy-one-get-one entrée offer in the U.S., UK and Canada. The fast food chain also unveiled a limited-edition soccer jersey of its own inspired by soccer culture and streetwear that is available for its loyalty program members. The back of the jersey features the number 53, representing the number of Chipotle’s ingredients in its dishes and the fact that only 53 jerseys in total will be made available.
Charmed by soccer: Pandora, the world’s largest jewelry company, released new soccer-themed charms that celebrate the sport’s biggest event.
Gap embraces World Cup mania:
Gap GAP 0.00%↑ has launched two exclusive collections for the football fandom, in collaboration with Ouigi Theodore, founder and creative force behind The Brooklyn Circus. The football-inspired clothing and accessories collection pays tribute to soccer’s style influences. Products from both collections are available on gap.com and in select Gap $stores across key host cities. The OuiGap collection is also available internationally, including in the United Kingdom, Turkey, China, Vietnam and Mexico and Japan.
Score a McDonald’s limited-time FIFA World Cup 26 meal: McDonald’s MCD 0.00%↑ is giving fans a limited-time FIFA World Cup 26 meal and Happy Meal, with a chance to score collectible keepsake cups featuring global soccer stars and one of 23 Squishmallows plushies, including the official mascots for FIFA World Cup 26, representing the three host countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
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