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World Cup 2026: The FMCG Brands Winning Off the Pitch
World Cup 2026: The FMCG Brands Winning Off the Pitch
Looking for World Cup snacks and drinks? From limited-edition crisps and collectable promotions to creative marketing campaigns, we’ve rounded up some of the products and activations helping FMCG brands win off the pitch this summer.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is well underway and, while football fans are busy debating refereeing decisions, predicting winners and wondering whether football really is coming home, FMCG brands are competing in a tournament of their own.
Every major sporting event creates an opportunity for brands to capture attention, drive engagement and encourage shoppers to try something new. This year’s World Cup is no different. Across supermarkets and convenience stores, brands have rolled out limited-edition products, collectable packaging and promotional campaigns designed to make the most of football fever.
As a business immersed in the FMCG world, we always enjoy seeing how brands respond to moments like these. So, with the tournament now in full swing, we’ve taken a look at some of the products and promotions helping brands win off the pitch this summer.
World Cup Snacks and Drinks: The Snack Aisle Goes Football Mad
No World Cup watch party is complete without snacks and some of the biggest names in crisps have gone all-in on the tournament.
Walkers, Doritos and Wotsits have teamed up as official tournament sponsors, with special promotional packs offering fans the chance to win prizes through on-pack QR codes. Football legends including David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi also feature across selected packs, helping bring the excitement of the tournament onto supermarket shelves.
There is flavour innovation too.
Doritos has launched Mexican Beef Taco flavour as part of its World Cup activity, while Wotsits has introduced Golden Balls, football-shaped snacks with a Smokin’ Cheese flavour.
It is exactly the sort of creativity that makes FMCG such an exciting sector. One minute it’s a packet of crisps, the next it’s part of a national sporting event. Footballs become cheese puffs, packaging becomes entertainment and the humble snack aisle becomes a battleground for shopper attention.
Coca-Cola Keeps It Simple
While some brands focus on new products, others are using the tournament to create engagement through collectability.
Coca-Cola’s “Uncanned Emotions” campaign celebrates the passion, excitement and drama that only football can deliver. Hidden beneath selected bottle labels are Panini-designed football stickers, giving fans the chance to build their collection while entering competitions for World Cup-themed prizes.
It is a relatively simple idea, but perhaps that is the point.
In an age of increasingly complex marketing campaigns, there is still something powerful about giving people something fun to collect. The combination of football, nostalgia and a little bit of luck remains a formula that works remarkably well.
The Return of Collectability
One of the things that makes this year’s World Cup snacks and drinks promotions so interesting is the return of collectability.
For many people, football stickers were their first introduction to brand loyalty. Completing a collection became an obsession. Duplicates were traded in school playgrounds. Missing stickers felt like personal tragedies.
Brands understand that instinct has not disappeared.
Whether it is collectable packaging, promotional prizes or limited-edition products, many World Cup campaigns are built around creating a sense of scarcity and encouraging consumers to engage more deeply with a brand.
The products may have changed, but the psychology remains remarkably similar.
The Shelf Space World Cup
While football teams are battling for points, FMCG brands are fighting a competition of their own.
The prize is not a trophy. It is attention.
Supermarket shelves are some of the most competitive environments in retail. Hundreds of products are competing for the same shopper, often with only a few seconds to make an impression.
That is why major sporting events matter.
Limited-edition flavours, bold packaging, football-themed promotions and on-pack competitions all have the same objective: stand out long enough to earn a place in someone’s basket.
And just like football, there are winners and losers.
Some campaigns will become talking points. Some products will fly off shelves. Others will quietly disappear after the final whistle.
More Than Just Marketing
What makes major tournaments so fascinating from an FMCG perspective is that they bring together almost every function within a business.
Behind every promotional pack, new flavour launch and shopper activation is a huge amount of collaboration.
– Marketing teams create the campaign
– Category teams identify the opportunity
– Commercial teams secure retailer support
– Operations teams ensure products reach shelves on time
– Innovation teams bring new ideas to life
Consumers often see the final product. What they do not always see is the amount of planning, creativity and teamwork required to make it happen.
Why We Love It
At New Chapter, we’re fortunate to work with businesses across food, drink, beauty and consumer goods, giving us a front-row seat to the innovation, creativity and commercial thinking that drives the sector forward.
The World Cup is a brilliant reminder of what makes FMCG such an exciting industry. Brands move quickly, spot opportunities and find creative ways to connect with consumers through innovation, collectability and clever marketing.
Whether you’re watching the football, trying a new limited-edition flavour or simply browsing the supermarket aisles, there’s plenty of FMCG inspiration to be found this summer.
And while we enjoy the football as much as everyone else, we cannot help paying attention to what is happening on supermarket shelves too.
After all, every tournament needs more than one league table!
At New Chapter, we partner with leading food, drink, beauty and consumer brands across the UK. If you’d like to be part of the teams bringing ideas like these to life, explore our latest opportunities below or contact us today at info@newchapter.co.uk.
Alternatively, if you need some specialist advice from experienced FMCG, Consumer, and Retail recruiters, we would love to hear from you.
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