The FIFA World Cup is no longer merely the world’s biggest sporting event. It has also become one of the most important global marketing platforms.
During this year’s tournament, FIFA tested further solutions designed to increase its commercial potential. It expanded the competition from 32 to 48 teams, entrusted the organisation of the event to three countries and introduced mandatory hydration breaks that broadcasters used as additional advertising time.
“In global sports marketing, the World Cup, the European Championship and the Olympic Games are the flagships of the business. There is no debate about whether the World Cup is one of the most important—or perhaps the single most important—sports products in the world,” Grzegorz Kita, President of Sport Management Polska, told the Newseria news agency.
“It has always been, and will continue to be, an event that attracts the attention of the entire world. Where it takes place, when it is held and which teams participate are all important factors, but the fundamental strength of the event is enormous.”
Three host countries expanded the tournament’s commercial reach
This year’s World Cup was played in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It was the first tournament in history to have three host nations.
Football is not the dominant national sport in all three countries. The United States is the clearest example, as soccer remains less popular there than American football, basketball and baseball.
Nevertheless, record viewing figures for matches involving the U.S. national team demonstrated the commercial potential of the American market. The team’s defeat to Belgium in the round of 16 attracted an average television audience of 42 million viewers.
“These are very large numbers by American standards. They show that it is possible to stimulate interest in a market hosting the World Cup,” Kita said.
“The more countries that have a direct interest in the tournament because their national teams are participating, the greater the opportunities for monetisation.”
Compared with the previous edition, FIFA increased the number of participating national teams from 32 to 48.
“Sooner or later, I am beginning to suspect, FIFA may start awarding wild cards. Just imagine China participating in the World Cup. That would mean opening up and monetising an entirely new market,” the sports marketing expert said.
“From a marketing perspective, this World Cup opens up new possibilities. On the one hand, it may initiate a discussion about wild cards for national teams. On the other, we now have additional breaks that effectively divide matches into quarters and create more advertising space.
“To some extent, they also adapt football viewing to contemporary media consumption habits by giving supporters and television audiences an opportunity to take a break during a match.”
Hydration breaks create new advertising opportunities
Kita was referring to the mandatory hydration breaks introduced by FIFA.
The referee stops each match twice—after 22 and 67 minutes—for a three-minute break. The official justification is the high temperature and the need to protect players’ health and safety.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has emphasised that the organisation does not generate revenue directly from the breaks.
“Hydration breaks are a complicated issue. On the one hand, they have been presented as a measure intended to protect players’ health. However, the market has widely interpreted them as advertising breaks,” Kita said.
“What emerged from these two perspectives was a type of hybrid format. The breaks were not filled with advertising to the extent many people had expected.
“Viewers can still see the pitch and the coach speaking to the players, while advertisements are displayed in panels at the bottom or side of the screen. These formats are not identical in every country or on every television channel broadcasting the World Cup.”
According to the expert, the introduction of mandatory hydration breaks amounted to a live experiment through which FIFA was searching for new commercial opportunities.
“The best way to introduce something like this is, of course, gradually and without causing too much disruption,” the President of Sport Management Polska said.
“I also see it as an attempt to divide a football match not into two halves, but into four informal quarters, similar to the NBA. This appears to be the direction of travel, and should the format remain in place, I expect the breaks to become increasingly filled with advertising.”
Polish broadcaster attracted millions during advertising breaks
Telewizja Polska, the official Polish broadcaster of the 2026 World Cup, initially displayed L-shaped advertising formats during hydration breaks, with commercial messages appearing at the bottom and side of the screen.
From the quarter-finals onwards, TVP switched to traditional full advertising blocks.
During each of the quarter-final broadcasts, these breaks attracted audiences of more than one million people, reaching a combined total of 8.3 million viewers.
Individual advertising blocks during the semi-finals were watched by between 5 million and 6.1 million viewers.
According to TVP’s Marketing and Advertising Office, the results confirmed that World Cup broadcasts provide an effective environment for marketing communications—even though Poland’s national team was absent from the competition.
“The current World Cup has been somewhat paradoxical from a Polish perspective because it has differed considerably from previous tournaments,” Kita said.
“First, Poland did not qualify. Second, the tournament took place in a different time zone.
“As a result, during the first half of the competition—and throughout most or perhaps all of the group stage—it was largely a World Cup followed through news reports and headlines. People were interested in theory, but relatively few watched the matches.
“They obtained most of their information from headlines and article introductions and simply checked the results. This began to change as the knockout stage progressed.”
According to TVP, the most-watched group-stage match was France against Senegal, which attracted an average television audience of 2.8 million.
The most popular quarter-final was Spain against Belgium, watched by an average of 3.6 million people.
The semi-final between France and Spain attracted an average television audience of 5.1 million, while the England–Argentina match was watched by 5.6 million people. The respective online audiences were 870,000 and 980,000.
“Many people are gradually beginning to understand FIFA’s constant determination to increase the number of participating national teams and expand the World Cup geographically,” Kita said.
“The event is no longer organised by a single country, but—as in this case—by as many as three. Every country whose national team takes part in the tournament generates significantly greater interest.”
Host nations and participating teams drive engagement
Viewing figures reached record levels in the countries whose national teams appeared in the final and the third-place play-off.
The closing matches also delivered considerable drama. England defeated France 6–4 in the third-place match on Saturday, while Spain beat Argentina 1–0 in the final.
Although the world’s leading teams dominated public attention during the final days of the competition, lesser-known national sides attracted considerable support during the group stage and quarter-finals.
“Major international sporting events are always enormous global showcases. This is where stars emerge and where new formats—both sporting and marketing—can be introduced,” Kita said.
“Supporters naturally back the underdogs and look for surprise packages. The appearance of teams such as Cape Verde, Curaçao and Panama therefore generated a great deal of positive interest.
“When that interest and natural desire to support the weaker team are accompanied by a strong sporting performance, the effect becomes even more powerful. Cape Verde did not lose 6–0 or 10–0 to Argentina, but only 3–2. Suddenly, global sympathy begins to shift toward teams of this kind.”
World Cup performance brings global social media fame
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha gained more than 29 million new Instagram followers during the World Cup.
His popularity was driven by a series of impressive performances, particularly against Spain—the reigning European champions and eventual world champions.
Cape Verde held Spain to a 0–0 draw, with Vozinha playing a decisive role in securing the result.
