Hey, Retailers, the Soccer Ball’s in Your Court This Would Cup

The FIFA World Cup, the world’s biggest sporting event, should excite not only soccer fans, but also retailers, restaurateurs and U.S. downtowns. Why? It presents an outstanding opportunity to attract foot traffic and score new customers.

But it’s not a passive opportunity. Foot traffic around stadiums and “fan zones” won’t magically convert into sales. Such conversions result from intentional strategies — strategies that shape experience around fan behavior.

To develop these strategies, retailers and restaurateurs should think carefully about what fans want to do before and after games. Typically, they want to gather, eat, shop and enjoy the sports-oriented atmosphere. Catering to this demand can be as straightforward as extending operating hours to align with match schedules. No one wants to leave a stadium or watch party and find no venue for a post-match bite. 

The smartest restaurants and bars will host post-event specials to draw fans in. And, if crowding is a concern, then they can establish grab-and-go food and beverage options or mobile ordering and contactless checkout.

Other tactics to consider for both retailers and restaurants alike are outdoor activations and sidewalk merchandising. If international visitors are expected, then multilingual signage and wayfinding can come in handy.  

Partnerships, too, can be beneficial. They can involve nearby venues and transportation hubs. For retailers near stadiums, how about offering discounts to fans with match tickets or with subway, train or bus tickets? Those are popular enticements.

Speaking of partnerships, downtown organizations and business improvement districts can coordinate programs for a bigger impact. Shared branding and communication create a stronger experience. Through our analysis of MRI Software’s data on foot traffic, we’ve found that when BIDs extend visitor movement beyond a single anchor destination, the economic impact spreads much more broadly across restaurants, retail and entertainment businesses. 

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the FIFA World Cup 2026 New York New Jersey Host Committee clearly understand this relationship. The fan events they’re organizing, which include live match viewings, cultural programming and interactive experiences across all five boroughs, are spreading goodwill while giving a welcome boost to retail and hospitality venues in many neighborhoods.

To be fair, NYC is arguably at an advantage since many matches, including the final, will be played at MetLife Stadium in nearby New Jersey, so the excitement is close to home. But BIDs and downtown organizations across the U.S. can take a page from this playbook. 

They should, first and foremost, aim to create a sense of connection between fan zones and business districts. To this end, they should clear pedestrian flow between viewing areas and retail corridors, host live entertainment or cultural programming, involve local businesses in coordinated promotions, and provide outdoor seating and flexible use of public space.

Retailers and restaurateurs, of course, can take their own initiative to create experiences that feel socially, locally and culturally connected to the tournament. For example, they could offer country-themed food or beverage menus to match schedules, host their own viewing parties and outdoor screenings, sell limited-time merchandise or collaborative products, or establish loyalty programs tied to repeat match attendance.

Some may wish to consider pop-up shops, which can be a good return on investment, provided they complement existing retail rather than cannibalizing it and are in a location where fans are likely to gather or pass through. If these criteria are met, pop-ups enable brands to test new concepts with low risk and maximize the potential of a built-in audience with elevated energy and spending intent. Souvenir shops, take note! Who has left a match when a favorite team is victorious and neglected to purchase a $50 commemorative T-shirt? (Not me, as a quick peek through my closet will confirm.)

That said, it’s not all easy winnings. Regardless of whether a retailer is already established or contemplating a pop-up, research is critical. And, yes, that means data analysis — both retroactive and in real time. Review of past data can show which events in a stadium or retail corridor attracted the most foot traffic, and when the traffic peaked and waned. 

Staffing should be commensurate with these patterns. But patterns can emerge through real-time monitoring, too, allowing retailers and restaurants to bring in more on-call security and staff according to foot-traffic levels. People might get frustrated if lines are too long, and no one wants to contend with safety risks.

The hosting of the World Cup in North America offers a rare opportunity for retailers, restaurateurs and downtowns to convert attendance at matches and watch parties into sales, especially as the competition progresses toward the final. The smartest organizations will take advantage of this opportunity — they won’t wait around for the ball to be passed to them. The goal is in sight, off the field.

Carla Hinson is vice president of innovation at proptech firm MRI Software. She oversees MRI’s OnLocation solution, which tracks foot traffic in malls and downtowns.