P-O-P Spotlight: FIFA World Cup 2026
If you've stepped foot in a CPG retailer's store recently, odds are you've seen plenty of marketing campaigns for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Various brands and official partners of the tournament are utilizing in-store displays, contests and limited-edition products to engage and capture consumer attention across grocery and other retail chains.
Based on the in-store activity P2PI has spotted for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the most eye-catching and interactive displays leverage global star power, gamified digital experiences and physical collectibles to engage shoppers.
Member Exclusive: Eyes on the Aisles: FIFA World Cup 2026
Highly Interactive Engagement Mechanics
Several displays move beyond passive branding by requesting direct shopper participation:
- Physical Collectibles: At various retailers, including H-E-B, a Coca-Cola display features a "Peel and Collect" promotion for 12 special Panini stickers, creating a physical "hunt" element for fans.
- Gamified Digital Experiences: Quaker deployed a "Scan, Play, Win" display at Albertsons Cos.' Safeway, including an integrated mobile game where shoppers can win tickets or swag daily. The display included a base wrap and corrugated soccer goal atop.
- Unique Exclusives: An exclusive Mondelez International display spotted at Kroger includes an interactive mobile element and creative that features soccer balls as QR codes, which shoppers can scan to win prizes like "Jerseys for life" or an "Epic Experience with a Superstar."
- Host City Trivia: A digital display unit for Diageo's Casamigos at Total Wine includes trivia questions on a screen asking questions such as, "Where will the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final be held?" and provides the answer (New York / New Jersey), turning a standard liquor display into an informative touchpoint.
Eye-Catching Visuals & Star Power
Brands are using iconic imagery and massive floor presence to command attention in high-traffic aisles:
- Freestanding Excellence: ABC Fine Wine features a prominent Michelob Ultra display from AB InBev centered around Lionel Messi. Nearby, a corrugated, bilingual merchandising unit from Buchanan's Scotch Whisky resembles a green FIFA truck in the middle of the alcohol department.
- Player-Specific Branding: PepsiCo Frito-Lay occupied entry space at Sobey's with a large display merchandising bags of limited-edition FIFA chip flavors. The united floorstands featured large portraits of stars such as David Beckham and Thierry Henry, alongside a standee featuring Lionel Messi. The in-store activity also supported the brand's dedicated national campaign and sweepstakes awarding tickets to a game.
- Thematic Dominance: A Kroger in Texas implemented a massive spectacular comprising signage, floorstands and case stacks that combine Coca-Cola products with Frito-Lay snacks, creating a visually dominant destination in the store's entry, highlighting a "Houston's Home For the World's Game" message.
Since 2003, P2PI has served as marketers’ eyes in the aisles and offered its member community access to a robust Image Vault, which today comprises nearly 160,000 images (and counting), across a variety of retailers, product categories, channels, touchpoints and themes. Each month, we showcase a sampling of eye-catching physical activations and themes from the vault.
