Why brands are spending billions on 2026 FIFA World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to become the largest tournament in the competition’s history.

Hosted jointly by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, the first time three countries have shared hosting responsibilities, the tournament will span 16 cities, feature 48 national teams, and include 104 matches over 40 days.

FIFA continues to describe the World Cup as the world’s most-watched sporting event. The 2022 tournament in Qatar drew record attendance and global television audiences, reinforcing the competition’s international reach and growing commercial value.

But for FIFA and its commercial partners, the World Cup is no longer just a sporting event.

Over the past decade, FIFA has increasingly framed the World Cup as a broader cultural platform that extends into fashion, food, music, entertainment, and community engagement, creating opportunities for brands to connect with consumers who may not traditionally follow football (known in the U.S. as soccer).

“The real creativity is in identifying how I can reach somebody who might not be interested in soccer,” said FIFA World Cup 2026 NYNJ Host Committee Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Bettina Garibaldi during the Meltwater Summit 2026, attended by TheStreet.

“My job is to ensure we are creating and designing moments and experiences that people want to be a part of.”

That approach appears to be translating into commercial growth.

According to FIFA, sponsorship revenue for the 2026 World Cup cycle is expected to generate a record $2.8 billion after selling out available sponsorship inventory, surpassing the $1.8 billion generated around the 2022 tournament.

Industry analysts increasingly view global sports sponsorship investments as long-term consumer engagement strategies rather than traditional media buys, as brands place greater emphasis on cultural relevance, experiential marketing, and sustained audience relationships.

For participating companies, the value proposition increasingly extends beyond logo placement or media exposure. Sponsors are using the World Cup’s scale and global visibility to strengthen awareness, reach new audiences, and create experiences that maintain engagement long after the final match.

How FIFA’s sponsorship model works

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the first men’s tournament to operate under FIFA’s updated commercial partnership structure, introduced to provide greater flexibility and expand participation across global and regional markets.

According to FIFA, a standard sponsorship package includes:

• Use of official FIFA World Cup marks
• Brand exposure in and around the stadium environments, and official FIFA publications and digital channels
• Recognition through FIFA’s sponsor activation programs
• Ambush marketing protection
• Hospitality and guest experience opportunities
• Advertising access and preferred broadcast activation opportunities

Sponsors can also customize activation rights to align with business objectives. For example, central partners can create co-branded experiences intended to differentiate themselves from non-sponsorship competitors.

Those commercial rights have become an increasingly meaningful contributor to FIFA’s financial performance.

FIFA said it is on track to exceed its projected $13 billion revenue target for the 2023-2026 cycle, with 93% of the total budgeted revenue already contracted by the end of 2025.

Marketing rights represented FIFA’s second-largest revenue source in 2025, generating $965 million and exceeding budget projections by 21%.

Licensing rights reached $97 million, approximately 61.7% above budget, driven primarily by royalties generated through FIFA trademark and brand licensing.

How sponsors are activating around the 2026 FIFA World Cup

World Cup sponsorships require significant investment, but companies often view participation as a long-term brand-building strategy rather than a short-term advertising campaign.

FIFA estimates that more than 6.5 million visitors will travel across host cities during the tournament, while global viewership is expected to reach billions.

For sponsors, it provides access to one of the world’s largest concentrated consumer audiences. The opportunity extends beyond ticket holders.

Research from Siena College Research Institute and St. Bonaventure University’s Jandoli School of Communication found that around 70% of Americans identify as sports fans.

Even among consumers who do not attend matches, fan festivals, brand activations, and sponsor-led events can create engagement opportunities that influence purchasing behavior and strengthen brand recognition.

Some sponsors are already expanding beyond traditional advertising.

Hyundai opened the FIFA Museum at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City to mark its 27-year partnership with FIFA. The experience combines interactive exhibits, robotics, and immersive storytelling as part of Hyundai Motor Company’s “Next Starts Now” campaign.

“It reflects how football connects and inspires people from one generation to the next. This is exactly what ‘Next Starts Now’ means to us,” Hyundai Motor Company Executive VP and Global CMO Sungwon Jee said in a statement.

The company is also rolling out its “Next Starts Now Fan Experience” across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico as part of its renewed agreement as FIFA’s official mobility partner.

Hyundai is not alone in expanding beyond traditional sponsorship.

Global FIFA partners, including Coca-Cola, Aramco, Lenovo, Qatar Airways, and Visa maintain multi-event sponsorship rights across FIFA properties while operating separate commercial categories.

Coca-Cola partnered with Panini America to release limited-edition collectible stickers featuring players from World Cup-participating nations and is hosting fan activations globally and at the matches.

Meanwhile, Adidas, FIFA’s official team kit and technical partner, is supplying the official match ball, producing tournament merchandise, outfitting national federations, and creating fan experiences across host cities.

Collectively, these campaigns show how World Cup sponsorship has evolved from logo placement and hospitality into year-round consumer engagement strategies designed to generate cultural relevance and measurable business outcomes.

Are FIFA World Cup sponsorships worth the investment?

Whether sponsorship delivers a return depends less on securing rights and more on how those companies activate them.

Research from Analytic Partners found that strong owned and earned media engagement can increase incremental sales generated through paid marketing by an additional 2% to 6%.

Here’s some of my previous coverage on sports business:

• Why F1’s sponsorship boom is nearing $3 billion
• McDonald’s brings back Squishmallows for 2026 World Cup
• Why the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a billion-dollar retail boom

Ricardo Fort, a sports sponsorship consultant and former global sponsorship executive, argues that the most effective sponsorship programs operate across an entire organization rather than within a single marketing function.

“Experienced organizations build internal processes, align departments, allocate resources, and create accountability around sponsorship activation,” wrote Fort on LinkedIn.

“They understand that the return comes not from owning the rights, but from using them across the company. That is why two companies can invest the same amount in the same event and achieve completely different outcomes.”

As brands continue investing in World Cup partnerships, the 2026 tournament may offer one of the clearest examples yet of how global properties are increasingly being treated not simply as media buys, but as platforms for broader consumer engagement.

Related: Justin Bieber turns Coachella 2026 into a $5M merch empire