Kickstart Your 2026 World Cup Marketing Strategy: A Game Plan for DMOs
September 12, 2025
The 2026 FIFA World Cup isn’t just a soccer tournament. It’s a global phenomenon that presents an unprecedented opportunity for DMOs across North America. And whether your city’s hosting a match or not, there’s one truth we can all agree on: this is gearing up to be one of the biggest tourism moments of the decade.
The clock is ticking for World Cup destinations and their nearby neighbors to get in the game, so here is your kickoff kit—a little push to make sure your community shows up when the world starts watching.
A Game of Numbers for Sports Tourism
This will be the largest World Cup in history with 48 teams and 104 matches planned. FIFA expects 3.7 million people to attend the games in the 11 U.S. host cities alone with millions more flowing through Canada and Mexico’s host cities, increasing the opportunity for additional foot traffic.
It’s a huge opportunity for destinations because sports fans don’t sit still and neither does their spending. They’ll hop a flight, clear their calendar, and drop everything to back their team. Their passion is making sports tourism one of the fastest growing sectors in tourism.
For Non-Host Cities: Capture the Ripple Effect With a World Cup Marketing Plan
You don’t need a stadium to be in the game. World Cup Soccer 2026 energy travels, and with the right strategy, and so do the fans. Show up with a smart play, and your community could score big-time ROI.
The “Official Base Camp” Strategy
Position your destination as the smart, affordable, and refreshingly authentic “base camp” for fans. With hotel rates in host cities expected to spike, travelers are looking for value, not to mention a study by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) found that 60% of travelers already rank cost and value as their top priorities. This is your window:
- Create “Road to the Cup” itineraries that frame your community as the perfect overnight stop for World Cup Soccer 2026. Close enough to catch the action, far enough to unwind.
- Partner with hotels and shuttles for “Stay & Ride” packages that take the pressure off logistics.
- Market your charming downtown, your food scene, your trails or wineries or whatever makes your place special.
- Geo-fence digital ads around stadium parking lots and airport terminals: “Want to escape the madness? We’re 45 minutes away—and 50% cheaper.”
The “Team Allegiance” Play
This strategy is simple, smart, and full of heart: once you know which teams are playing in your nearest host city throw your support behind their fans. For example, if Brazil is hitting the field near you, don’t wait for fans to wander in—show them you’re ready by lighting up your city in green and yellow, welcome fans in their own language, and make it impossible for them to miss that you’re on their side.
Think of it like this: every team brings an entourage, superfans, extended families, media crews, influencers, and casual travelers along for the party. These fans aren’t just watching matches, they’re looking for places that feel like home. You’ve got a chance to be that place with these ways to play:
- Geo-targeted digital campaigns in countries like Brazil, Argentina, Germany, or Japan before fans even book their flights. Speak their language, literally and emotionally. If you’re curious about why that kind of authentic outreach matters and what it looks like, we break it down here.
- Build welcome content and signage in their native language to show more than copy-paste hospitality.
- Rally your local flavor: team up with restaurants to serve national dishes, themed menus, match-day specials, like feijoada night during Brazil’s group stage.
- Connect with local cultural centers and expat communities to bring in authentic voices to help shape the experience. (Hint: they’ll know exactly what the fans want.)
This isn’t performative fandom, it’s showing up for people who show up big for their team. You’re not trying to be everything to everyone—you’re becoming the unofficial home-away-from-home for a group of fans who will remember how you made them feel. And the ROI? Passionate fans travel in packs, stay longer, and spend more when they feel seen.
The Ultimate Watch Party Destination
Let’s be real, most fans won’t get the chance to step into a stadium. But they are still looking for atmosphere, energy, and a place where every goal feels like the roof just came off. How to build it:
- Turn public spaces into fan festivals. Think giant LED screens in your town square, food trucks, local musicians hyping the crowd, kids kicking soccer balls around.
- Bring the culture of the teams to life. If Mexico’s playing in a nearby city, bring in mariachi. If France is on the pitch, organize a French pastry pop-up. Fans love when the watch party reflects the game on screen.
- Make it family-friendly. Soccer is multi-generational—designate spaces with bounce houses, youth tournaments, or face painting so families stick around.
Done right, a watch party isn’t just an event. It’s its own story waiting to be told. Regional media will cover it. Influencers will stream it. Fans will post it. Suddenly your city isn’t the place “near the action”—it is the action.
The “Escape the Crowds” Play
Here’s the thing about the World Cup: it’s electric… and it can be exhausting. For every die-hard fan living on adrenaline and stadium hot dogs, there’s a spouse, partner, or friend who’s not looking to spend two weeks elbow-to-elbow in the chaos. They want the excitement, sure—but they also want a breather. That’s where your community steps in.
This strategy is about owning the role of the getaway, the spot fans (and their tagalongs) retreat to when the noise dies down. You’re not competing with the host city; you’re complementing it. You’re the reset button. The little pocket of calm that makes the frenzy feel fun again.
How to make it real:
- Wellness and Recharge: Spotlight your spas, yoga retreats, hot springs, or boutique B&Bs.
- Outdoor Recreation: Trails, lakes, golf, kayaking, stargazing, whatever your version of “quiet adventure” looks like, wrap it into World Cup itineraries.
- Quiet Luxury: High-end dining, wine country escapes, design hotels, or cabins with fireplaces and no Wi-Fi. Sell serenity as the ultimate upgrade.
- Family Options: Create day-trip ideas that keep kids entertained between the matches. Farms, waterparks, nature centers, it’s all part of the appeal.
For Host Cities: Maximizing the Home-Field Advantage
If you are one of the 11 U.S. World Cup destinations, congratulations. The world is coming to your doorstep. But “if you build it, they will come” is not a World Cup marketing strategy. You must actively manage and amplify the experience.
The Four-Day Play: Make 90 Minutes Last 4 Days
A match lasts 90 minutes. Fans don’t fly across the world to watch one game and head straight back to the airport. They’re looking for a weekend. A memory. A story bigger than the scoreboard.
This strategy is about turning a one-night trip to a World Cup destination into a three- or four-night adventure by building a full itinerary around the game. Pre-game energy. Post-game celebration. Off-day exploration.
- A Perfect World Cup Weekend: Create ready-made itineraries that combine soccer hype with your best local experiences.
- Friday night: craft beer crawl or live music downtown.
- Saturday: brunch → match → afterparty in your city’s fan zone.
- Sunday: museum morning, food tour afternoon, evening hike or wine tasting.
- Culinary Front and Center: Fans travel hungry. Highlight local chefs, street food tours, ethnic dining that ties to participating nations (“Taste the World Cup” menus at local restaurants).
- Adventure Add-Ons: Rally your partners and design bundled experiences that give fans more reasons to stay. Think passes that unlock multiple attractions, curated trails connecting food, music, and outdoor rec, or discounts that reward visitors for exploring more than one spot. It’s not about coupons, it’s about creating a seamless, story-driven way for travelers to stack memories (and nights in-market) while they’re here.
Own the Global Spotlight with World Cup Soccer 2026
World Cup marketing isn’t just bringing fans, it’s bringing writers, influencers, and entire media crews. That’s your cue to think bigger than match day.
- Start with geo-targeted campaigns aimed at international markets. Fans booking long-haul flights aren’t haggling over a side trip—they want a plug-and-play plan. Hand them ready-to-go itineraries that stretch beyond the stadium: where to eat, what to see, how to fill a weekend.
- Back it up with snackable, social-ready content. Short-form reels like “A Perfect World Cup Weekend in [Your City] in 60 Seconds” make it effortless for fans to copy your blueprint and share it.
- Tap into the storytellers fans already trust. Work with soccer podcasts, YouTubers, and influencers who live and breathe the sport. Give them insider access and itineraries so they can show the world how your city plays host off the pitch.
Don’t forget the press box. The world’s media will be camped in host cities for weeks. Proactively pitch them stories about your city’s culture, innovation, or transformation. Set up a dedicated media hub stocked with b-roll, imagery, and local voices ready to talk. (This is where your PR team earns their keep—get them in the game early.)
The Time to Act Is Now
The 2026 World Cup isn’t “down the road,” it is the defining tourism event of the decade, and the strategic planning window is closing fast. Media buys, international partnerships, and content strategies need to be developed and funded now to be effective.
By leveraging data, understanding traveler personas, and executing a creative, targeted World Cup marketing strategy, every DMO in North America can find a way to win with sports tourism. The final whistle of the 2026 World Cup shouldn’t just crown a champion on the field; it should mark a historic victory for your destination.
