How Businesses Are Going All-in to Make the Most of World Cup Summer 2026 – Daily Business

The FIFA World Cup isn’t just about football – especially now that it’s being co-hosted by one of the most finely-tuned commercial markets on the planet. Businesses and brands from all industries want a piece of the action, with many coming to FIFA to create unique and official collaborations that tie them to this colossus of an event.

Of course, at its core, the FIFA World Cup is still about football, and it’s this that the fans really come for. So while all kinds of brands, from insurance to long-haul flights can become officially tied to the tournament, just about any savvy business can tie themselves in and get into the football fever theme. Here’s how they’re doing it in 2026.

Official Tie-ins for the World Cup

Those who’ve partnered up with FIFA for their massive quadrennial showpiece look to maximise its pulling power – which is significant, to say the least. Just about any brand or business can link up with the World Cup, with American Airlines booking its place as the “Official North American Airline Supplier” of the 2026 tournament.

Niche as that is, the company has leveraged the branding and association to run its own World Cup Final promotion. Those who enter their draw could win airfare, the hotel stay, access to the World Cup Final party at Edge, a surprise performance, and more. Of course, most partnerships lead to official merchandise promos.

The snacks provider Walkers has not only created a special range of new flavours for the World Cup, but it’s also running a swathe of giveaways. Official shirts, hoodies, and footballs are all up for grabs when you buy promotional products, as are projector sets, mini fridges, and more.

Perpetual partner Coca-Cola also continues to run new, inventive, and collaborative promotions with the World Cup. This year, they’ve teamed up with Panini to give out special stickers and even personalised ones. With the Sip.Scan.Score promotion, Coca-Cola is also offering tickets to the tournament every single week.

Getting Involved Unofficially

 Football is the people’s game, and any business can use the sport to create a kind of promotion, bonus, or any other form of marketing campaign. It just happens to be quite timely when you release a football-themed promotion when the World Cup has already whipped everyone up into a fandom frenzy.

The key is to get creative while making use of the sport itself. To see this in action, you can look to the new football-themed bingo promotions found online. Spin To Score, which runs until 19 July, has players spin a wheel, shooting for cash prizes and slot spins. It’s a way of combining interest in the World Cup and the bonus itself.

Elsewhere, you can see businesses encouraging people to get into the football spirit and rewarding them for doing so. Rudy’s pizza chain, for example, is offering limited-edition football scarves featuring “Forza Rudy’s” across the blue and orange that combine Napoli and their colours. For £25, the customer gets a free drink with pizza during the World Cup.

There are countless ways to leverage the FIFA World Cup into official and unofficial collaborations and tie-ins that let businesses capitalise on football fever this summer.