World Cup fever over the summer of 2026 has once again demonstrated the power of packaging to drive meaningful connections between brands and consumers; from the usual beers and snacks all the way through to collectibles and dog toys. Senior Account Manager David Pittman looks back at what he saw.
This summer, people haven’t just been watching the FIFA World Cup, they’ve been eating it, drinking it, collecting it, and playing with it.
And that’s all thanks to packaging once again.
Every four years, brands of all shape and size align themselves with the world’s biggest sporting spectacle.
Whether a headline event sponsor such as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser or any of the myriad other brands looking to capitalise, there’s no scarcity of World Cup themed packaging on the shelves. Printed labels, bottles, boxes, cartons, films, header cards, sandwich boxes, bread bags, flow wrappers, spherical tins, and round plastic containers have been found on shelves around the world (or at least up and down supermarket aisles in the UK).
It’s been very interesting to see the diversity and witness so many brands taking advantage of the opportunity this year (and in some clever ways). This provides inspiration and opens up a world of opportunity.
Sell when you’re winning
The idea, of course, is to create an emotional attachment and drive sales. It goes without saying that winning helps brands capitalise on the appetite for football and there was a clear synergy in categories such as snacks and beverages, which are consumed when the match is on.
Walkers, for example, did a great job with its unique flavour-packaging combos around the FIFA World Cup 2026. English Banger & Mash, Spanish Queso, and Mexican Beef Taco made an impact with clever use of national flags to customise paper-based share bags and multi-packs.
Other snacks available for hungry football fans included:
- Babybel mini cheeses wrapped in country-themed paper wrappers
- Football edition Cheestrings (multipack and individual wrappers)
- Co-Op cheese balls in bags featuring a goal and footballs
- Scottish shortbread in a football-themed tin
- England cupcakes in clamshells sealed with a branded carboard sleeve
- A matchday dozen of Krispy Kreme doughnuts retailed in a football-themed carton
- 25-pack multipacks of candy sticks, with 15 collectible boxes featuring the names and colours of a competing nation
Pepsi Max’s limited-edition Perfect Chilled World Cup football cans featured a black and white design to mimic the traditional look of a football. 150,000 of these were printed using white thermochromic ink so that when cooled to 8°C, the design transforms into a vibrant Pepsi Blue. Finding a can that changes colour gave consumers the chance to win prizes such as football tickets, £5,000 for a home entertainment bundle, merchandise, and vouchers.
The cans were hidden in 18-pack and 24-pack multipacks, which themselves used a black and white football-themed collation sleeve.
Coca-Cola offered consumers the chance to find and collect 18 limited-edition cans, with unique packaging designs that celebrated a team that participated in the FIFA World Cup 2026 competition. The brand also utilised connected packaging to drive engagement, such as in Germany, Spain, and the UK with codes and other printed variable data elements giving consumers the chance to win prizes.
Specifically, the Can Hunt campaign invited consumers to locate limited-edition country designs with a unique QR code and scan the code to add that country’s virtual design to an online collection. Every can scanned earned points and gave the consumer the chance to enter a prize draw and win football-themed prizes.
Beer brand Budweiser similarly offered 11 limited-edition collectable cans that referenced the branding of previous World Cup tournaments dating back to 1986, including the memorable Italia ’90 branding and the striking logo for USA 94, right up to the divisive 2026 visuals.
For those with a taste for something stronger, BuzzBallz served up limited-edition World Cup themed cocktails. The brand, which is known for its high-strength, ready-to-drink cocktails, targeted a younger demographic of football fans with its limited-edition SoccerBallz collection for the 2026 World Cup. The country-inspired flavours included Caipi Crush (Brazil), Sol Siesta (Spain), and Pip Pip Punch (England), as well as the universally themed GOOOAAAAAAL-Melon.
Broader appeal to win more fans
Aside from the usual array of snacking options, there were choices for those looking for something more substantial.
In McDonald’s Happy Meal this summer, a series of collectible World Cup themed Squishmallow characters have been included. the promotion featured 23 unique, country-themed plushies, including host country mascots, Each character was packed in their own customised carton, adding an extra level of desirability. The main Happy Meal box was similarly given a stadium aesthetic to deliver the campaign through multiple printed touchpoints.
Retailer M&S offered hungry fans football-branded sandwiches and wraps to get their teeth into.
Taking inspiration from one of the host nations for this year’s World Cup, the limited-edition Sweet Carolina BBQ Chicken wrap came complete with a football themed sleeve. The Roast Chicken and Slaw sandwich took inspiration from New York’ deli scene and was sold in a stripped Reuben-esque sandwich carton with complementary football design.
Bringing it back home, The Lion’s Share was chicken and mustard mayo lunchtime option, served in a roll baked to resemble a football. The cardboard tray it was retailed in featured the colours and badge of the England football team.
For those making their own lunches, Warburtons bread bags for white rolls featured a subtle football design, as well as an updated logo and strapline. This design was cleverly extended up the neck of the bread bag, where a clearer representation of footballs was evident.
To help fill those rolls, retailer Tesco sold heads of lettuce in a film printed with the pattern of a football, so creating the illusion of each product being a green football ready to be kicked into the goal. While a relatively simple example of one-colour printing, this was particularly effective and really stood out on the shelf in an area of the supermarket (fresh foods) that is often overlooked when it comes to event-themed branding.
Go big to take home
Without doubt, the most interesting example of the extent to which bands are now taking advantage of event-themed packaging was not from the food or drink categories. It was from the pet aisle.
And not even pet food.
Rather, pet toy brand Kong and its use of football-themed header cards to retail limited edition squeaky chew toys for dogs. This cleverly capitalised on the love consumers have for their pets in combination with football fever. These stuffed toy bears were even dressed in football clothing that brought to mind England’s kit.
Dogs also had the chance to get in on the treat action thanks to Denzel’s beef and cheese flavoured footy stars, which were retailed in pouches designed with a football-themed and using some clever copywriting/word play with the strapline, “Treats so tasty they’ll be dribbling”.
The breadth of examples seen this year – and this is only an illustrative sample and far from comprehensive – highlights how major events like the World Cup can and are being used by all sorts of brand to drive sales and win over the hearts of consumers.
From the expected (Coca-Cola, Pringles, etc) to the novel and quirky (Tesco and BuzzBallz, for example), packaging in all its forms is a flexible and cost-effective way to make meaningful connections and deliver results.
Any brand or retailer worth their salt should now be looking at what’s the next and planning their next packaging strategy, speaking to the supply chain and assessing their options, and innovating to have a lasting impact.
Take inspiration from the above and think outside the box to score a win.
The next big date on the calendar is already out there.
The real question is whether you and your packaging will be ready for it.
