Previous tournaments have generated a 4% uplift in UK grocery spend. With the FIFA World Cup 2026 spanning three host countries, over 40 days and 104 matches, convenience retailers are perfectly positioned to capture last-minute purchases and mission-driven shopping occasions.
It won’t be long until the bunting goes up, the big screens are switched on and the UK gears itself up for another nail-biting FIFA World Cup.
With previous tournaments generating a c.+4% uplift in UK grocery spend [Nielsen, 2022] this year’s sporting extravaganza – spanning three host countries, over 40 days and 104 matches – is another chance to score big for convenience retailers.
So, how exactly can they make the most of the nation’s football fever?
High value moments
Sporting events like the FIFA World Cup 2026 are a real boon for local stores if they can tap into the excitement and enthusiasm that surrounds them and cater to the deluge of social viewing occasions that follow, fans gathering together with family and friends to celebrate, commiserate and yell instructions at their TV screen.
“Major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup represent one of the biggest retail opportunities in the calendar, driven by their ability to bring together mass audiences and create highly engaged consumption moments across the day,” says Steve Marks, associate director, away from home environment lead at CCEP.
“These events drive a wide range of high-value shopping missions – from planned big shops ahead of key fixtures to more spontaneous, top-up missions as kick-off approaches.”
- Steve Marks, associate director, away from home environment lead at CCEP
“This is where convenience retailers are uniquely advantaged,” he adds. “Their proximity and accessibility mean they are perfectly positioned to capture last-minute purchases, with shoppers often turning to local stores to complete their match-day baskets.”
In fact, research by marketing agency Savvy found that most (56%) engaged shoppers plan to watch the tournament from their own living room this time, in part driven by the later kick-off times. This could increase the likelihood of shoppers looking to stock up on soft drinks and snacks. Chilled single-serve formats become particularly important in the hour before kick-off, for example, when shoppers are seeking out quick, ready-to-drink options.
This opportunity only builds throughout the course of the tournament too, points out Savvy CEO Catherine Shuttleworth. “As national teams advance and the stakes rise, viewing occasions become more social and less planned in advance,” she says. “That creates further opportunities for convenience retailers to support shoppers with mission-led purchases around food, drinks and sharing formats.”
Executing brilliantly
For convenience retailers an effective World Cup strategy should be centred on
“executing brilliantly at key moments – ensuring products are available, visible and easy to shop during short, high-intensity demand windows,” such as the hours ahead of kick-off.
Consider ramping visibility of key products via secondary displays, chillers and front-of-store positioning to capture impulse purchases, he suggests. There’s also an opportunity to create cross-category moments by merchandising soft drinks alongside snacks, pizzas and sharing formats to help shoppers quickly build a match-day basket.
Highlighting targeted innovation can play a key role too. For example, with hydration becoming an increasingly visible part of elite football, sports drinks are expected to gain greater relevance during this year’s tournament. CCEP’s own limited-edition Powerade Playstyles variants - Attack and Defend - have been designed to tap into this demand and “give retailers fresh, fixture-relevant NPD during the competition.”
This multipronged strategy reflects the planned approach of George Phillips, owner of TJ’s Lateshop. “Shoppers become more mission-driven, often purchasing for social gatherings or to enjoy while watching matches,” he says. “As a result, ensuring strong availability, clear in-store visibility, and compelling promotional mechanics is critical to fully capitalising on these peak trading moments and driving maximum volume.”
It’s also about in-store theatre too. Yes, stringing up some bunting and flags is part of that, but retailers can also think a little more strategically on how they execute eye-grabbing activations in stores. For example, Philips works closely with suppliers like CCEP, taking advantage of their own planned promotions and resources, “to bring campaigns to life through free merchandise handouts and branded activations.”
This year, that’s set to include CCEP’s collaboration with Panini, the event’s exclusive partner for official stickers and trading cards, to roll out a collectible sticker experience embedded directly within the Coca‑Cola bottle label. Shoppers can peel back the label to reveal one of 12 exclusive stickers, featuring star players from 10 countries, and designed to be added to a dedicated Coca‑Cola page in the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Sticker Album.
“This creates a strong collectability mechanic, giving consumers a clear reason to purchase repeatedly as they build their collections over time,” says Marks. “For retailers, this delivers clear benefits through increased footfall, stronger shopper engagement and more dynamic in-store theatre during the tournament period.”
Local hubs
The beauty for c-stores is that tapping into shopper engagement around the tournament needn’t just be about selling products. It’s also about leveraging their position as the hub of a local community. As Marks puts it, “the World Cup is a shared cultural moment, and convenience retailers are uniquely placed to reflect and amplify that at a local level.”
Think themed displays or tailored match day promotions, he suggests, to create excitement and connection in stores.
“There’s also the opportunity to connect with local communities through small scale events or partnerships that bring people together around the key fixtures.”
- Steve Marks, associate director, away from home environment lead at CCEP
Philips couldn’t agree more. “I focus on actively involving the local community in major sporting events, reinforcing that TJ’s is more than just a store – it’s a destination people enjoy visiting,” he says. “By creating an engaging, event-led environment, the store becomes part of the overall experience rather than simply a place to shop.”
Whether a football fan or not, he’s adamant that the upcoming tournament is not a moment to be missed for local retailers. “When you fully embrace the hype and connect it to your store, it delivers results. It drives engagement, increases footfall, and ultimately delivers stronger sales during key trading periods.”
And retailers that successfully position themselves at the centre of these shared moments can strengthen loyalty long after the final whistle.
