The biggest FIFA World Cup 2026 audience wasn’t in the stadium; those fans were everywhere else. That shift is reshaping how brands think about fan engagement.
According to Nielsen’s 2026 World Cup research, only one in four self-identified fans had planned to attend a match in person.
That’s both a practical necessity and a choice, reflecting a broader cultural shift: for most fans, being part of the World Cup didn’t require a seat in the stadium.
For brands, that gap between attention and access is creating new opportunities.
“Merchandise is no longer just a promotional tool,” said Liz Grabek, Senior Vice President of Consumer Strategy at Betty, a Quad agency. “It’s a tangible way for brands to participate in a cultural moment while helping fans express their identity and giving them a greater sense of belonging.”
The same dynamic is playing out across festivals, awards shows and other cultural moments where audiences watching from afar vastly outnumber those in attendance. As brands look beyond the venue, merchandise is becoming a way to extend the experience to everyone who wants to feel part of it.
“The brands that get merchandise right understand that the best cultural moments create a hunger in people – they want to belong to something, to declare themselves part of it. Effective branded merchandise satisfies that hunger,” said Oliver Kimberley, General Manager, Managed Services at Quad.
The numbers reinforce the trend. The global football jersey market is expected to reach $8.7 billion in 2026, growing at a 7.2% annual rate, with World Cup years driving the biggest demand spikes. It’s evidence that merchandise isn’t simply a keepsake; it is increasingly how fans express their identity and connection to the moments that matter most.
“When merchandise is designed with the cultural weight of a moment in mind — the passion, the community, the shared identity of it all — it stops being a product and starts being a marker that says, ‘I was part of this.’ Those brands are making memories people can hold in their hands,” Kimberley said.
As live, in-person events become increasingly premium experiences, marketers expect branded merchandise to become even more valuable – not as souvenirs, but as tickets that expand participation beyond those who can sit in a venue seat.
One example is the Page Six Virtual Reali-Tea Awards, where Quad’s Branded Solutions team designed custom teacup-shaped trophies and a branded photo backdrop. The physical keepsakes gave participants something to display, share on social media and connect back to an event that existed primarily online.
As brands rethink what it means to create memorable experiences, the most effective merchandise won’t commemorate attendance; it will create a sense of participation, no matter where fans are watching.
Covering this story
Hali Sawyer
Agency Communications Manager
414-622-2297
hasawyer@quad.com
