How Businesses Can Capitalize on the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Last Updated on 12 June 2026

The FIFA World Cup presents business opportunities around the world. The 2026 event will be no different.

With 48 teams, 104 matches, and 16 host cities, the tournament’s five-week window will undoubtedly capture the world’s attention.

Tier 2 sponsorship slots are already sold out and cost around $65 to $95 million. However, this isn’t the only way to grab viewers.

The Scale of the Commercial Opportunity

World Cup sponsorship revenue is expected to reach $1.8 billion over the five-week event.

However, even more importantly, 2.7 billion people will view the World Cup, and around five to six million people will visit their events.

Businesses can take advantage of this viewership, either digitally or physically, by leveraging the event to promote their products/services.

For example, if you claim a casino welcome bonus with Betfair at the moment, you get 50 free spins for £10. They know people will be interested in betting on these events, so giving them a reason to pick their service over others with free spins will help them gain that traffic for their sportsbook.

Bars and clubs can leverage the event as well. With drink package deals, seating packages, food packages, and so forth. They can get more revenue from customers who come and watch the event in their venue.

How Small Businesses Are Competing With Major Sponsors

While Adidas, Coca-Cola, Visa, Qatar Airways, and Lenovo have collectively spent millions on official partnerships with FIFA, smaller businesses can still make money from this event.

In fact, NetChoice’s small business research mentioned that 64% of small and medium-sized businesses expect a positive business impact from the tournament. They just have to come up with ideas of how they can offer a unique package or services to those watching the event.

Bars, pubs, and restaurants can do this easily. They can stream the event and offer drink and food packages. Even corner shops can fill up their store with merchandise, like flags, or gas stations, like car stickers.

Naturally, due to so much viewership on this platform, those who see these types of products will naturally gravitate towards them.

The Winning Playbook

The businesses that’ll capitalize on this opportunity will understand three factors:

• Culture: They know that all cultures will have their eye on the event, so they’ll offer multiple products/services that merge the World Cup and multiple individuals together.
• Promotions: They understand that everybody will be competing for these eyes. As a result, promotions will be developed to capture the attention of their target audience.
• Convenience: They recognize that people don’t want to go out of their way for World Cup deals. People need convenience, like buying merchandise at a bar instead of going to a separate store first.

The Long-Term Commercial Impact

The impact of the World Cup will remain for years to come. Digital businesses can flourish if they target the right people at the right time. Physical businesses can become new favorites if they host quality events.

Who will succeed, though, comes down to who understands and targets the right individuals. Businesses that really think outside the box on how to increase their average customer value or get new customers will be the ones that win.