The World Cup influence: How soccer fandom is evolving in the US and what it means for brands

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the largest sporting event ever staged — 48 teams, 104 matches across three host nations and a truly global audience. 

And yet the audience most naturally associated with a soccer tournament represents just 13% of the people who'll actually be watching.

We surveyed 2,000 Americans ahead of the tournament to understand how soccer fandom is evolving and what it really means for brands. Then we put some of the biggest brands’ campaigns and products to the test.

Read on to see what we found.

Nearly two thirds of people planning to watch the World Cup (64%) are casual viewers, occasional fans or people who don't follow soccer at all. Avid fans — those who watch soccer daily and the audience most naturally associated with a soccer tournament — make up just 13% of World Cup viewers in the US.

But the World Cup also has a cultural pull that goes well beyond the sport.

The crowd it attracts is younger than almost any other US sports audience, putting the World Cup alongside the NBA as one of the few sporting events that skews young. 

18-34 year-olds are the biggest enthusiasts, with nearly half of them planning to watch as much of the tournament as possible — more than any other age group. 

And they arrive with global allegiances — only 51% are primarily supporting the US team (vs. 73% of 55-75 year-olds), with the rest backing nations from across the world. 

Fans show up to socialize, to be part of something bigger and to mark the moment. The match simply gives them a reason to gather — it’s not necessarily the reason they came. 

Only 53% of viewers say they're watching for the sport itself. The rest are there to socialize (42%), for the atmosphere (35%) and the culture (28%).

Food and drink (46%), time with others (45%) and the overall atmosphere (41%) all rival the game itself (50%) when it comes to fans’ overall expectations of their World Cup experience. 

For younger viewers, the experience extends well beyond the screen. 18-34s are nearly three times more likely than over-55s to say social media and digital content are important parts of how they experience the tournament.

For brands targeting younger audiences, the opportunity extends well beyond the 90 minutes. This is a group that engages with the occasion as much as the sport — across social platforms, group chats, watch parties and everything in between. We'll come back to what that looks like in practice.

The campaigns and products we tested this year show what it looks like when brands take the occasion seriously:

• AB InBev — owning the habitual moment. Rather than chasing new behaviors, AB InBev doubled down on the ones that already exist. The brand leaned into the familiarity and routine that already surrounds watching a game.

• Diageo — creating new rituals. Diageo positioned its spirits brands around how people choose to celebrate and mark key moments, turning an ordinary viewing occasion into something more intentional and elevated.

• Coca-Cola — mapping the emotional journey. Coca-Cola built a campaign that travels with fans through the entire tournament — anticipation, tension, celebration — with the product present at every phase.

• Unilever — owning the everyday rituals. Unilever embedded its personal care brands into the everyday rituals surrounding the tournament — from the preparation before a match or watch party to the clean up at the end of it all — positioning itself as the brand that keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes.

What they all have in common is that the occasion is always part of the strategy — even when soccer is front and center in the creative.

There’s a strategic challenge the World Cup creates that is reflected in our data. 

There are effectively two audiences watching the same games: the 36% who are regular or avid fans, driven by the sport, the players and soccer culture, and the 64% casual majority who are there for the occasion, the social energy and the cultural moment.

They show up differently, too. 

Avid fans are nearly twice as likely to be watching in a bar or at a watch party. Casual viewers are more likely to be at home, watching with friends or family for the social occasion rather than the sport. Their motivations, their environments and what they need from brands vary.

The brands that speak to both tend to unlock the biggest commercial opportunity. You need the devoted fan for cultural credibility and the casual majority for volume.

Here’s what stood out to us from brands:

• Modelo and Jim Beam — owning the home occasion. Both brands planted their flags in the home viewing moment. Modelo's "Best Seat in the House" campaign is built entirely around the idea that the best place to watch is wherever you already are. Jim Beam's "Home Field Advantage" celebrates the fans who'll never set foot in a stadium, centering its campaign on backyard watch parties and the social ritual of watching together at home.

• Heineken and Stella Artois — owning the bar. Both brands went the other direction, claiming the out-of-home viewing experience. Heineken's "Fans Have More Friends" is built around the social energy of watching in public — meeting strangers, creating shared moments and turning every bar into a World Cup destination. Stella Artois committed to transforming bars into the ultimate viewing arenas, with branded experiences and David Beckham anchoring the premium end of that occasion.

• Lay's pairs "Epic Party" with "Bandwagon." The former put the biggest soccer stars alongside Steve Carell outside a supermarket, earning credibility with devoted fans while keeping the casual majority engaged. The latter does something completely different — Will Ferrell drives a bright yellow bandwagon through America, turning the cultural insult of casual fandom into an open invitation. Together the two ads leave nobody out, with the iconic yellow bag woven through both.

• Dove Men+Care pairs "The Chant" with "Balls on Fire." "The Chant" is built entirely for the devoted fan and it delivers a Sales Impact of 92 among them. "Balls on Fire" lands a specific functional product message with humor that works for anyone regardless of their relationship with the sport. Neither ad is trying to do the other's job — one builds emotional connection with the avid fans, the other reaches everyone else.

• Diageo gives each of its tequila brands a distinct role in the tournament. Don Julio owns the premium milestone moment — cinematic creative starring Thierry Henry and a limited-edition bottle designed to be displayed not only consumed. Casamigos owns the watch party — RTD margaritas built for sharing and a campaign centered on friendly rivalries at home. The focus is on two completely different audiences and two completely different moments in the occasion.

Players are one of the most powerful forces in soccer fandom — 56% say specific players influence which teams they support, and player association is a top driver of World Cup product purchase intent. 

But the picture is more nuanced when we dig into the different levels of fandom. Devoted fans are the ones influenced by specific players. 

Only 18% of casual viewers say players influence them a lot, compared to 53% of avid fans.

The distinction that matters for campaigns is how you use your athlete. A soccer player used as a soccer figure narrows your audience. 

The same player used as a cultural icon — charismatic and bigger than the sport — travels much further. Famous faces work regardless of how much someone loves soccer, while soccer authenticity is a signal that lands the most for people who already love the game.

The campaigns we tested this year did exactly that — pairing soccer icons with pop culture faces so the creative earns credibility with the devoted fan while staying open to everyone else.

Lay's "Epic Party" put Messi, Beckham, Henry and Putellas alongside Steve Carell — soccer royalty earning credibility with devoted fans while a recognizable pop culture face keeps everyone else engaged. 

Budweiser led with Haaland and Klopp front and center, showing the emotional world of the devoted fan. Stella Artois cast David Beckham not as a soccer player but as the most composed man among ordinary fans in a packed sports bar. His soccer credentials add authenticity for the fans, while his broader cultural status makes him recognizable and aspirational to everyone else. 

Michelob Ultra brings US soccer stars and Messi's camp together for an impromptu match in a hotel lobby — then cuts to Billy Bob Thornton in a bathrobe asking where his ULTRAs are. The humor lands because he's the most unexpected person in the room, and his presence makes the ad work for viewers who'd never heard of Pulisic or Paz. 

Don Julio stars soccer legend Thierry Henry in cinematic creative built around the premium milestone moment, resonating the most with soccer fans. Casamigos features pop culture celebrities Gabrielle Union and Keegan-Michael Key making Casamigos the brand that made its deepest impression with women in a tournament historically dominated by male viewership.

LEGO features Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. but never really uses them as soccer players. They're miniaturized LEGO figures sitting around a table, outwitted by a kid who finds the secret compartment they all missed. You can still use soccer stars to reach a broad audience, you just need a story that resonates beyond the sport.

Over half of viewers say they're likely to purchase limited-edition World Cup products — and that number tells us more when we look at who's buying and why. 

Among 18-34 year-olds, purchase intent jumps to 64%, while it drops to just 31% among over-55s. The generational gap is about motivation. 

For younger viewers, discounts motivate them to buy but they’re almost on par with participation-driven factors like team association, special packaging and shareability. 

For this audience, the price gets them through the door, but the product's cultural meaning is what makes them reach for it in the first place. A limited-edition World Cup product for them is a way of participating in the moment, rather than just a convenience purchase. 

Older viewers are primarily price-driven — discounts lead their purchase decisions by a large margin, meaning the World Cup context is less of a pull for this group.

The products scoring highest are the ones giving fans something to be part of rather than simply something to buy:

• Buchanan's four-bottle FIFA World Cup collection features a name tied to a different part of the fan experience for each of their bottles — El Ritmo, Mi Gente, Un Balón, El Golazo — with artwork drawn from the streets, stadiums and neighborhoods that define soccer culture within the Hispanic community. The bottles are display-worthy, giftable and culturally specific. 

• Don Julio’s limited-edition gold 1942 bottle is designed to be a collectible. The packaging and the premium price point all position it as a single purchase meant to be displayed.

• Casamigos released two ready-to-drink margaritas — Classic Lime and Spicy — and built the entire product concept around picking a side. "Team Classic or Team Spicy?" mirrors the tournament's own dynamic and turns a purchase decision into participation. Together the two products sell an idea, not just a drink. 

• Michelob Ultra’s US Soccer Jersey Pack takes its design directly from the wavy red stripes of Team USA's home kit. The product connects the brand's "superior" positioning to American identity, giving fans a tangible way to show up for their team before a single match has been played.

• Tim Hortons' "Tastes of the Globe Timbits" — four globally inspired flavors in a colorful world flags bucket — map directly to what fans told us they're buying into. The shareable bucket format — multiple flavors, designed to be passed around — giving groups something to enjoy together rather. And the globally inspired flavors make it brilliant for cultural participation — trying a Chocolate Crème Brûlée Timbit inspired by Italy or a Lime Cheesecake flavor inspired by Brazil is a way of engaging with the tournament's multicultural spirit. 

The most disruptive thing a brand can do during the World Cup is run an ad during live gameplay (44% of viewers say so). Among avid fans that jumps to half, making them the most sensitive to traditional advertising formats. 

The brands cutting through are the ones that have found a way to embed themselves into watch party rituals and show up in the conversation around the match. 

In fact, the opportunity beyond the broadcast window is significant. During a match, 38% are on social media and 31% are messaging friends in group chats. 

Among 18-34-year-olds those numbers are even higher — nearly half are on social media during a match and more than a quarter are following along through creators and influencers, more than five times the rate of over-55s. 

The brands cutting through are the ones that show up alongside the match but also in the surrounding moments:

Lay's built a custom WhatsApp group chat featuring Messi, Beckham, Henry and Putellas where fans could interact with their celebrity ambassadors in real time. 

Coca-Cola's Trophy Tour visits all 16 host cities and 22 additional markets across North America — 75 stops across 30 countries in total, giving fans a chance to engage with the tournament weeks before it’s started. This is also accompanied by a Panini sticker collection and social-first content designed to travel through creators on TikTok and YouTube.

Unilever committed to dedicating half its global media budget into social and creator marketing for the World Cup. The "Locker Room" — a 24/7 content hub running throughout the tournament — and "House of Fresh" experiential spaces in New York, Miami and Mexico City extend that presence into real-world fan moments. 

The brands that win at the World Cup are the ones that stay closest to how fans actually experience it. 

For more on what the biggest brands are doing and how their campaigns and products are landing with consumers, check out our report Lessons in Sports Marketing: FIFA World Cup 2026.