When Argentina debuts in the World Cup, millions of people will not be in stadiums or bars. They will be at home, with friends, with family, with neighbors who show up with folding chairs and something to snack on. This domestic ritual, as Argentine as the “dale que va”, is not only a social custom: it is also a consumer phenomenon that brands have been studying for years and that this year, with the World Cup being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, once again occupies the center of the country’s commercial strategies.
The data confirms what any Argentine already knows intuitively. A Worldpanel by Numerator study carried out on more than 5,000 interviewees in six countries in the region shows that 88% of Argentines plan to watch the games at home, far exceeding the regional average. Only 4% declare that they will not watch any games, the lowest level among all the markets analyzed. Home is not plan B: it is the chosen scenario.
And a table is set up around that television. According to the same survey, the products most chosen to accompany the games are pizza (45%), snacks (38%), snacks (34%) and empanadas (28%). The profile is clear: food to share, to grab without cutlery, so that no one has to get up at the moment of the goal. Cooking becomes logistics.
That logic is what brands are reading. From the largest to the niche, practically none of them want to be left out of the global conversation. According to sector specialists, the Argentine advertising market could approach $3.8 billion in 2026, driven in part by the World Cup. Investments exclusively in creativity and production of World Cup campaigns start at $200,000, according to sector sources.
The most visible case is that of Quilmes, a beer that historically built its identity on soccer and that this time launched the “Co-Reasons to believe” campaign with limited edition cans, designs that evoke the World Cup wins and a promotion with prizes that include trips to the Cup. The logic is that the consumer not only buys a beer but feels like they are part of the event. At a global level, Lay’s is also betting on the same territory with its “No Lay’s, No Game” campaign, starring Messi, Beckham and other football icons, where French fries are presented as an element as indispensable for watching a game as the television itself.
The interesting thing is not that beer or snack brands are joining the World Cup—that is to be expected and has decades of history—but that the phenomenon is dragging categories that do not usually participate in this game. McDonald’s launched “Las Mundialistas”, a line of themed products that is part of its campaign as the official sponsor of the tournament. And in the universe of home pastry, Ledevit—an Argentine company with 57 years of experience historically oriented toward the professional channel—launched for the first time a promotion aimed at the final consumer, with prizes, content on networks and recipes designed to accompany each game from the home kitchen.
Ledevit’s movement illustrates something broader: the World Cup acts as an accelerator of transformations that were already underway. A company that for decades sold to bakeries and restaurants decides, just now, to go out and look for the domestic consumer. The reason is the same that drives all the others: during games, people cook more, look for more profitable recipes, want preparations that do not force them to have their back to the television while a goal is scored.
Ledevit’s proposal will be valid from June 1 to July 19 and combines daily instant prizes with final draws. The mechanics are simple: you buy any product from the home line, scan a QR code and access a digital scratch-off. Among the prizes are official National Team t-shirts and balls, Messi edition Stanley dunks and glasses, and household appliances.
The economic context adds a layer. According to data from Worldpanel by Numerator, consumption behavior in 2025 was marked by smaller baskets, lower frequency of visits to the supermarket and a migration towards cheaper brands. The World Cup arrives, then, not in a moment of consumer euphoria but in one of caution. What the brands are betting on is that football has the ability to suspend that logic of containment, even if it is for 90 minutes. That when Argentina plays, people buy the beer, make the party and accept the expense as part of the ritual.
As the creative director of Ogilvy Latina Sur summarized: in Argentina the World Cup exceeds marketing. People expect campaigns from certain brands as part of the pre-tournament experience. Football doesn’t just fill stadiums or move bets. It also empties shelves, fills carts and turns each game into a consumption occasion with its own menu.
by RN
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