Key Takeaways
• The 2026 FIFA World Cup is taking place this summer in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and is expected to draw millions of fans.
• Strong fan interest, rising soccer engagement and large-scale brand activations suggest significant demand for promotional products will emerge as the tournament approaches.
• While some campaigns are underway, local business interest will likely lag until the start of the tournament.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is right around the corner. Not only is it the signature event for the world’s most popular sport, but this year’s tournament is also the largest in the competition’s history. Taking place from June 11 to July 19 and spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico, the soccer spectacle will expand into its largest pool of teams ever, thus drawing an even larger crowd from across the globe. In the U.S. alone, fans are set to descend on 11 major cities, including New York, Miami, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Seattle.
With over 6 million fans projected to attend matches and millions more set to flood host cities, it’s shaping up to be a bonanza of activity and a major opportunity for promotional products distributors.
And yet, distributors in these cities say local businesses aren’t really aware of what is about to hit them. At the very least, those businesses may be underestimating this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“We’re just not seeing it,” says Tom Goos, president and CEO of Image Source (asi/230121), which is based in the Seattle area.
World Cup 2026 Fast Facts
- Dates: June 11 – July 19, 2026
- Total Matches: 104
- Teams: 48 (largest field ever)
- Host Cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey
- Projected Attendance: More than 6 million fans
Part of that, Goos surmises, comes down to price skittishness. With the tariffs and the continuing situation in Iran, pricing and sourcing are difficult, and businesses – particularly small businesses who might want to capitalize on the rush of tourism – are using their marketing budgets elsewhere. “I think with global instability – wars and things going on – people are just being more conservative with spending,” Goos says.
Griffith McDaniel, president of Brandwell (asi/205946), a distributor in Aliso Viejo, CA, not too far from Los Angeles, says his experience has been similar. “We haven’t had one World Cup-related request,” he says, adding that Los Angeles is a “crazy market” where even the biggest sporting events like the Super Bowl don’t take top billing.
McDaniel said that, on the more retail side of things, businesses like souvenir shops, airports and gas stations that sell tourist merchandise are starting to stock up. But in terms of promotional products and giveaways, or corporate merch related to the World Cup, he says it’s been fairly quiet.
As things get closer, he adds, signage could start popping up, especially when it’s co-branded with the tournament’s sponsors. “You’re probably going to start seeing signs, maybe they’re co-branded with beer companies or different things in terms of ‘World Cup viewing,’” says McDaniel, who counts himself as a soccer fan. “You’re starting to see a little more like that for viewing purposes.”
“In this industry, so much stuff is last minute. I think it’s going to be a thing that, once [the World Cup is] here, people will be like, ‘Oh, we should have something.’ And then it’s going to be either a rush job or not doable.”
Read this full article on Counselor.
