The appointment is scheduled for next Thursday, June 11. That day the show will start. The sports business will have a new global event, with more participants, higher ratings and, above all, a huge movement of money, which will break all records. This is clearly reflected in the numbers. A World Cup generates between US$7,500 and US$11,000 million in direct income for FIFA, but its global economic impact (tourism, transportation, and trade) exceeds US$80,000 million.
This time, the most important football event estimates higher revenues, of US$ 11,000 million, according to a report prepared by Sport Value. FIFA emphasizes that it hopes to transfer 90% of these investments to the development of global football. This figure would imply an increase of 56% compared to Qatar 2022, which was US$7 billion, while in Russia 2018 revenues stood at US$5.3 billion.
On the rise. The 2022 edition had already registered a growth of 32% compared to 2018. But, the 2026 edition goes for more. Within the billing expected for this World Cup, US$4.2 billion correspond to audiovisual rights, which would also establish a new historical record, with 24% more than in 2022; while US$2.8 billion will derive from sponsorships, which would be another record for FIFA, since it would exceed those achieved in 2022 by 59%.
To contextualize the size of the volume of this business, FIFA distributes a historic purse of more than US$700 million exclusively in financial prizes for the national teams, where the tournament champion will be awarded US$50 million.
Although there are days left before Lionel Scaloni’s team appears on the scene, the kickoff that Lionel Messi will give against Algeria is already in the minds of fans. A survey by Human Connections Media recorded more than 106,000 mentions in Argentina about the 2026 World Cup between October 2025 and January of this year, with peaks linked to the draw and the launch of the jersey. Interest is high: 61% of people say they will follow the contest, while, among the youngest, half see it as an opportunity to connect with brands. Furthermore, the consumption of content goes beyond the games, with summaries, interviews and analyzes that expand the playing field for the campaigns.
“We don’t want to just put the World Cup logo on something and call it a day. The goal is to bring this experience to life in a meaningful way and give people the opportunity to be part of it.”explains Susie CoronaAssociate Vice President and Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy at Verizon Valueparent company of Total Wireless, a prepaid mobile phone company in the United States.
Home Depot is offering bundles of Makita power tools, such as drills and circular saws, with Adidas FIFA World Cup scarves, turning home improvement investments into expressions of hobby. Other companies are approaching the same idea from different perspectives: beer and spirits manufacturers are launching limited-edition packaging and collectible products, while hospitality and travel companies are offering exclusive, limited-time experiences tied to the tournament.
Strategies. Budweiser bets on nostalgia and presents a series of bottles with designs inspired by the World Cups in history. QR codes on these packages allow access to digital content and rewards. For its part, Beeyond, The programmatic advertising platform DOOH (DIgital Out of Home), which has an inventory of digital screens of more than 2.1 million connected advertising devices in the world, presented a report on how brands are going to play a game on the street with digital screens.
The growth of Digital Out of Home (DOOH) allows brands to have visibility in a large audience event like the World Cup. Through the programmatic guideline, companies can activate campaigns at strategic times and locations – such as match days or high traffic areas – optimizing investment and achieving visibility in high-impact contexts. In this way, they capitalize on the global attention generated by the World Cup and compete in relevance alongside big brands.
Alan Levyco-founder of Beeyond and president of INTERACT Argentina, analyzes this phenomenon: “In this context, we promote new ways to connect brands with global football audiences, based on solutions that integrate data, international coverage and programmatic activation. With a network of millions of screens globally, DOOH today allows us to reach audiences in multiple cities and times of day, adapting messages according to context, location and behavior.”
Finally, the 2026 World Cup will be the first where artificial intelligence and data will dictate the pace of the conversation. According to studies of Epsilon and Deloittehyper-personalization is no longer a luxury but an expectation: the 27% of fans actively demand tailored contentfrom AI-generated summaries to real-time statistics tailored to your interests.
This is where unofficial brands find their greatest competitive advantage. By offering valuable services – such as cultural guides to headquarters or data-based predictive analysis – companies can occupy a useful space without needing to use protected intellectual property.
The 2026 World Cup has already started. And the brands play their part.
by Marcelo Alfano
