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The 2026 FIFA World Cup logo is placed over the original logo of the Hard Rock stadium in Miami, Tuesday. EPA-Yonhap
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup about a week away, Korean businesses are showing little interest in expanding their promotional activities amid the event’s falling marketing impact and shifting consumer spending patterns, industry officials said Wednesday.
The tournament — hosted jointly by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19 — is generating a notably muted commercial response. Even if some retailers plan to hold modest campaigns, marketing activities across most industries have effectively ground to a halt.
The consumer electronics sector, which once thrived on the so-called “World Cup effect,” has particularly taken a hit. Lotte Himart recorded a 35 percent surge in sales of large-screen televisions 55 inches and above during the first 10 days of June 2018, shortly before the World Cup kicked off. This year, sales in May came in flat compared with a year earlier — a stark indicator that the television industry can no longer count on the tournament for a reliable boost.
This is attributable to a fundamental shift in people’s viewing habits.
“As consumers increasingly stream matches on smartphones, tablets or laptops, the motivation to invest in a new large-screen television ahead of the major sporting event has de facto disappeared from the market,” an official from the industry said.
Signage for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is displayed at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., Tuesday. EPA-Yonhap
The transformation in how Koreans watch football has had cascading effects on the food and beverage industries as well.
The World Cup once reliably generated explosive demand for chicken delivery and beer, fueled by crowded street screenings and large communal viewing parties. That culture has largely faded in recent years, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic normalized solitary or small-group viewing.
“In the past, there was a culture of drinking through the night during the World Cup season, but this is not the case anymore,” an official from the liquor industry said.
“Since the pandemic, consumption at restaurants and entertainment venues has declined, while home consumption has grown, making it difficult for the same marketing playbook to deliver results.”
Food service operators echo the sentiment.
“It is no longer the kind of environment where large group orders flood in,” a restaurant owner said. “Demand has not disappeared entirely, but we do not expect any dramatic surge in our sales during the World Cup.”
Compounding the problem is the timing of Korea’s group stage matches. The team will face the Czech Republic at 11 a.m. on June 12, followed by Mexico at 10 a.m. on June 19 and South Africa at 10 a.m. on June 25 — all during regular working hours, limiting opportunities for large-scale viewing gatherings.
“The match times coincide with the morning commute and the workday, which puts this World Cup at a structural disadvantage compared with previous ones from the viewpoint of food business operators,” a retail industry official said. “Considering the fading popularity of the sporting event, a dramatic lift in sales seems unlikely.”
