Five predictions for food and drink purchases for World Cup 2026

With matches kicking off at a range of late (ish) times, mid-week matches and increasing cost-of-living challenges, a lot remains unknown about how shoppers and consumers in the UK will aim to celebrate and enjoy the event in 2026.

As we prepare to cover how retailers, operators, and shoppers will experience the event, we consider five predictions we will track over the course of the tournament.

1. Home is where the game is, for most…

Late match timings will reshape consumption habits and mealtimes, driving demand for convenience and quick commerce. Although the 5pm, 6pm, and 8pm kick-off times are in line with league or European competition, the later games, 9pm, and especially those after midnight, will lead some shoppers and consumers to consider where they watch the game.

The day of the week the game is on will strongly inform where and how shoppers and consumers will enjoy games. Shoppers will look to balance cost-of-living challenges with the desire to enjoy the games communally and experience them alongside other fans. Retailers will promote hosting occasions, especially linked to BBQ events that will be planned in too, to make it easier for shoppers to buy everything they need in one place.

Away from home operators will spotlight the communal experience people will be able to enjoy at their sites, over discounting, while retailers will highlight the convenience and savings shoppers can make by planning and buying, invariably promotionally-driven, match day bundles.

2. …As shoppers look to control their spending

Our Shopper Confidence Index remained negative in April, after a stronger dip in March following the beginning of the Middle East conflict in February. While shopper confidence improved overall, it was not felt evenly across income groups, with only households with an income of more than £53,000 looking for quality, with those below that figure looking to save money.

These shoppers, especially, will be more likely to plan and purchase food and drink in advance. With ongoing concerns about rising costs, watching matches at home will be considered as a budgeting tactic, as shoppers avoid the high costs of extended time out.

Pubs and bars will look to remain competitive on value, but, as stated, are likely to promote their fan zones and how people can enjoy games together, rather than offering savings. It is likely that away from home operators will aim to secure bookings early and diversify their revenue streams with these early bookings and pre-booked packages, which will enable them to also highlight the chance for consumers to enjoy an all-inclusive experience. Encouraging consumers to trade up or purchase food will be key as people are likely to spend time at pubs and bars, but buy less alcohol. So, while pubs and bars may win at driving footfall to venues, they could lose on volume, challenging operators to convert dwell time into spend.

3. Quick commerce and delivery to play a larger role

Our events research showed that 36% of shoppers planned to purchase food or groceries for sporting occasions, match timings, and unplanned gatherings, which will create an opportunity for quick commerce and delivery.

Shoppers looking for food and drink late at night, or as part of distressed purchases, will likely see them choose easy-to-prepare meals and takeaways. With more quick commerce orders being fulfilled from supermarkets, this would enable retailers to create bundled offers through their quick commerce services.

Deliveroo’s new ‘Bundles’ service, which enables consumers to combine items from up to three different stores in a single order with no extra delivery fees, could prove particularly popular and drive uptake during the World Cup. This is especially the case given that Deliveroo (and DoorDash in the US) are official World Cup sponsors, which will help them reinforce their convenient solutions to shoppers looking to meet their late-night needs.

4. Promotions will dominate event spend

Of those planning to purchase food and groceries for sporting events, 84% expect to buy items on promotion. With 44% more concerned about the cost of events this year than last, communicating value will be essential. Shoppers will be laser-focused on value cues, such as coloured stickers and bundle deals, particularly when hosting.

Brands and retailers should ensure promotions are clearly signposted both in-store and online, and retail media promoting NPD are supported by promotions. There is also an opportunity to influence convenience-oriented shoppers and drive incremental spend through cross-category bundle deals.

While shoppers across all age groups plan to celebrate sporting events, anticipation is highest among those aged 35–44 (33%), with significantly more men (37%) than women (20%) planning to celebrate. While food and beverage ranges are likely to skew towards this audience, this demographic is evolving, and brands and retailers will need to reflect the growing demand for low and no alcohol alternatives. This will be key for away from home operators, especially for mid-week games, where consumers may not want to indulge as much, given timings and the fact that they have to be at work the next day.

This group are often value-conscious and can be harder to influence, requiring clear, compelling value messaging and impactful in-store activations to drive engagement. For away from home operators, there is the chance to promote pre-bookings and ticket sales so fans can secure their place for the next game, with ticket prices giving them money off or a free drink.

Game-day food is a central part of American sports culture, with U.S retailers heavily promoting sharing formats during events like the Super Bowl. With 22% of UK shoppers planning to eat at home, retailers and brands are likely to take inspiration from U.S retailers and introduce American, Canadian and Mexican-inspired foods designed for sharing and hosting, e.g., wing platters, poutine trays and queso dips. While BBQ traditionally dominates UK summer ranges, there is an opportunity to apply a North American twist on familiar summer BBQ favourites.

5. Team performance will shape spending

In our 2022 World Cup report, 29% of shoppers said they would spend more if their team performed well, and this behaviour is likely to continue. Brands and retailers can respond by using real-time communications across social media, email and in-app notifications, tying messaging and promotions to key moments and results. 

This creates opportunities to encourage impulse purchases and incremental spend. Certainly, retailers and operators will be hoping that England and Scotland stay in the competition for as long as possible, enabling them to benefit from any uptick in consumer confidence that this leads to, and ensuring that they are not left with a large overhang of stock. This last point does underline why retailers appear to be approaching the tournament slightly cautiously at the moment, with only limited amounts of activation seen so far.

However, the opportunity for growth if either England or Scotland makes it through to the next stage is huge, as interest will grow the further into the competition they get. If and when the excitement builds, this could lead more people to host events or join others at pubs and bars to watch other games. With more people watching more games, this will lead to more shopping and going out, which will only increase the importance of our other four predictions.