How Brands Can Still Win at World Cup ’26

It’s not too late. For years, marketers have talked about FIFA World Cup 2026 as a distant milestone — the largest tournament in the sport’s history, hosted across North America. Now, with the countdown firmly underway, many brands are asking a different question:

Did we miss our chance?

According to RedPeg United Managing Director Matt Hilley, the answer is simple: no. “In fact, for some brands, this may be a strategic window to get involved. We asked him for his take on how brands should approach this year’s big game.

A World Cup Unlike Any Before It

To understand the opportunity, it’s important to recognize how different this tournament will be.

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was uniquely centralized — eight stadiums located within a single city. That structure created a very different experience for fans and brands alike.

FWC26 will be the opposite.

The tournament will span three countries, four time zones, and sixteen host cities, each with its own culture, fan experience, and commercial environment. For brands, that creates something the World Cup has never offered at this scale: regional storytelling.

Instead of one centralized fan environment, each host city will have its own ecosystem of supporters, watch events, and cultural moments.

For brands, that means the opportunity is no longer just global — it’s also deeply local.

The Biggest Misunderstanding in the Market

Despite the scale of the opportunity, many brands still misunderstand how participation works.

The World Cup commercial ecosystem is layered. Beyond FIFA’s global partners, there are:

• Tournament-specific sponsorships
• National Partnerships
• Local Host City Supporters
• Independent brand activations and fan experiences

That final category — local involvement — is where many opportunities still exist.

“Most brands assume the window has closed,” Hilley explains. “But in reality, many host cities still have local host city supporter packages available. Some of those opportunities that might have cost several million earlier in the cycle may now be accessible at a lower entry point.”

In other words: the market hasn’t fully closed — it has evolved.

Official Rights Aren’t the Only Path

Another common misconception is that brands must hold official FIFA rights to activate around the tournament.

That isn’t the case.

While official partnerships provide certain privileges, brands can still build meaningful experiences through hospitality programs, fan engagement, or local initiatives that comply with FIFA guidelines.

For many companies, the most strategic entry point today is hospitality.

That doesn’t mean simply buying tickets.

It means designing a full program around the tournament — bringing clients and partners into the heartbeat of the event through curated experiences.

A strong hospitality strategy might include:

• Premium match access
• Private hospitality lounges
• Curated dining experiences
• Guest appearances from football legends
• Industry forums or networking events

Executed well, hospitality allows brands to capture many of the benefits they originally sought from official sponsorships — without the same long-term commitments.

Local Activation Still Exists

For brands focused on experiential marketing, activation opportunities remain as well.

Local watch parties and community events — organized within FIFA’s guidelines — can still create meaningful brand engagement.

More importantly, the World Cup moment creates a broader cultural window for soccer participation.

Brands that invest in grassroots football initiatives, youth programs, or community engagement during the tournament will benefit from a wave of interest in the sport that is expected to continue long after the final match.

In other words, the World Cup isn’t just a tournament.

It’s a catalyst.

Why Nimble Teams Matter Now

With the tournament approaching quickly, speed and flexibility matter more than ever.

Large global agencies are often fully committed to the largest campaigns already underway.

That’s where specialized teams like RedPeg United can offer a different approach.

RedPeg United brings together professionals with deep experience across global football events — including multiple World Cups — while remaining agile enough to build tailored programs quickly.

“We still have the ability to put an A-team on the field,” Hilley says. “We can move fast, build something custom, and execute thoughtful programs even on tighter timelines.”

In the current moment, that nimbleness can make the difference between participation and missed opportunity.

Three Words for Winning in 2026

When asked to describe traits that brand strategists and decision makers need going into FWC26, Hilley offers three words:

• Strategic, because the timeline demands focus and smart decisions.
• Fun, because global sporting events of this scale are rare — and should be experienced fully.
• And brave, because moments like this do not come around often.

“For many marketers in North America,” Hilley says, “this will be a once-in-a-career opportunity.”

The brands that embrace it will be the ones remembered long after the final whistle.