World Cup: how retailers and operators are activating the tournament – part two

Following on from our recent article on activations, and as the FIFA Football World Cup draws even closer, our analysts are seeing more activations from retailers globally, including Mexico and Brazil, and away from home operators in the UK.

Activations from Mexico

As one of the home nations for this year’s FIFA World Cup, we saw some impressive seasonal displays from the major brands on our recent trip to Mexico. Coca-Cola, the official soft drinks partner for the tournament, was among the standout examples, with prominent displays in several leading retailers’ stores.

Another brand that stood out was the Mexican cooking staple and flavour enhancer, Maggi. The brand, owned by Nestle, was giving customers the chance to win official Mexico jerseys or tickets to see the national team play in the tournament if they found a Gold Tag on a Maggi purchase. The brand's products were generally well executed across Walmart’s formats, in some cases with eye-catching World Cup-inspired packaging.

We liked this product innovation from McCormick, which pairs three spice varieties with a small disposable barbecue. We saw it in several retailers, typically on high‑visibility end caps. It’s an effective way to drive trial, introducing existing shoppers to variants they may not usually buy, while also attracting new customers to the brand.

Activations from Brazil

Despite Brazil’s deep passion for football, we saw relatively few brand activations during our April visit; however, this may have shifted now that the tournament is approaching. The strongest execution we observed came from Unilever, the official personal care sponsor of the World Cup. For its Rexona antiperspirant brand, it partnered with Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazário (R9).

The standout activation was in Assaí, where Rexona installed a branded fixture featuring a dedicated seat for shoppers to take photos “next to” the legend. The display also included a QR code: customers purchasing two or more products could register their

Unilever wasn’t the only brand capitalising on Ronaldo’s cultural relevance. We saw multiple examples of digital retail media from PepsiCo, which built a clever creative bridge between R9’s iconic 2002 triangle haircut (fashioned during the Word Cup) and the triangular shape of Doritos chips. The campaign carries the line “Conheça a teoria do triângulo” (“Learn about triangle theory”) and leverages the haircut as a humorous visual device to drive recognition and reinforce the brand’s distinctive shape across digital placements.

Activations from the UK

Budweiser has been busy in Tesco, with a World Cup ticket contest as well as Tesco-exclusive limited edition can designs commemorating previous tournaments. These help it to tap into shoppers’ desire for collectables and the retailer’s desire for differentiation.

Away from home operators in the UK

Big Penny Social

As with other away from home operators, Big Penny Social is focusing on and promoting the shared experience that customers attending its events can enjoy, noting how people will be able to enjoy the ‘ultimate England matchday atmosphere’ at its venue.

Its events will be ticketed, which will help it gain attention and benefit from bringing spending forward, ahead of the event. Live entertainment is a common thread across pubs and bars hosting World Cup screenings, especially for those, like Big Penny Social, aiming to become a destination for fan zones rather than ‘just’ a place to drink and watch the game.

It spotlights Time Out’s review of the venue, which called it the ‘Best place to watch the footie’, and how it has three huge screens across the venue and live entertainment. For those concerned about queues, it highlights how the venue has over 100 beer taps, which means customers will not have to wait long for a pint.

As with Big Penny Social, Box is promoting itself as ‘one of the ultimate spots in the capital to catch every match live… this is your go-to destination’. To maximise the tournament’s potential, Box highlights how it is showing a range of fixtures across all nations, while also making clear the enjoyment to be had from getting together with other fans to watch the games. To play up the communal nature of the games and to promote its affordability, Box says its menu of food and drinks is ‘perfect for sharing while watching World Cup fixtures live in London’.

Activations from the US

Michelob Ultra

Michelob Ultra has leaned into its official FIFA World Cup 26 sponsorship with an early and prominent in-store activation strategy. Stacked floor displays, built to draw the eye down the aisle, have been used to build awareness well ahead of kick-off, with the brand's World Cup imagery integrated directly into the fixture. The promotion gives fans a chance to win tickets to the final as the grand prize, alongside instant daily prizes including branded merchandise.