The World Cup has officially arrived, which means the pubs are full, the flags are up, and England is full of nans wandering around with St George’s Cross facepaint on. There is something magical in the air when the World Cup comes back around every 4 years, and this year, it’s bigger and better than ever.
In the 2026 World Cup, a whopping 48 teams are taking part, making it the biggest yet. There’s plenty of hype around the tournament, with millions of fans tuning in to watch every match.
You know what we’re like at Blaze, we don’t just see an event, we see an opportunity. With the tournament carrying on until the 19th of July, businesses everywhere have the chance to use the World Cup for marketing, and if you’re not already, you’ve still got time to get a strategy together.
At Blaze, we know the importance of businesses capitalising on every event to bring attention to their business and in this guide, we will outline how you can market your business during the World Cup.
Why the World Cup is a Marketing Opportunity for Any Business
A lot of SMEs make the mistake of thinking that because their marketing budgets are small, there’s no point in making the most of World Cup marketing, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Good marketing doesn’t need big budgets; it needs big ideas.
The reality is that the World Cup creates opportunities for growth for all businesses, and a recent survey found that 64% of SMEs expected a positive business impact, and that’s only because the other 36% have given up before they’ve even tried.
If you brainstorm, there’s a way to make every business relate back to the World Cup. Gone are the days of the only brands making the most of it being beer brands; marketing has become a whole lot more creative, and there’s more potential than ever for your business to pick up a bit of attention with some clever marketing… or a clever marketing team.
You Don’t Need to Be an Official Sponsor
Being realistic is half the battle in marketing, and it’s safe to say that most businesses aren’t going to be able to compete with the likes of Coca-Cola, Adidas and Visa to become an official sponsor of the World Cup, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still use the sporting event to your advantage.
Now, you have to be careful with your World Cup-related marketing and avoid using official FIFA trademarks and slogans, because you know FIFA has a legal team on their side that holds no prisoners, but you are completely free to make content relating to the event, and it can really be anything.
Businesses should look at the World Cup as a way to have a bit of fun while engaging with a brand-new audience. Now, we aren’t saying you should replace your logo with the England flag, but there are fun ways to make connections to your business. If you want to understand how to build a consistent brand identity that works across moments like these, our guide to why branding is so important is worth a read.
For example, if you’re a candle business, you could release some signature scents from each country or if you really want to get some attention, a candle that smells like freshly cut turf (we promise we think up better marketing ideas than this for businesses).
But what we’re saying is, have fun, get creative, and just get some content out, as you could end up connecting with a whole new audience and boost sales and attention to your business.
Treat it as a Season, Not a Single Campaign
Really want to make the most of the potential attention your business could get from the World Cup? Don’t just stop at one campaign; keep the ideas coming. Keep track of what’s happening as the games take place, capitalise on cultural moments as they happen and keep the momentum going.
This is essentially newsjacking in action, and the World Cup is one of the best opportunities of the year to do it. There’s so much untapped potential that you can make the most of, but as the National Lottery says, you’ve got to be in it to win it, so you do need to start paying attention to the games, seeing what people are talking about on socials and keep pumping out those ideas.
You’ve only got a small window to really make the most of it, so don’t miss out.
5 Practical Ways SMEs Can Capitalise
Interested in how you can capitalise on the 2026 World Cup? Here are 5 practical ways you can do so.
Local and Experiential Marketing
As an SME, gaining local attention is one of the best ways you can support the growth of your business beyond a local scale. Community engagement is everything for a business, and there’s no better way to achieve it than through experiential marketing.
Some ways you can do that include simple actions like adding a World Cup photo opportunity to your shop front to attract more customers and generate buzz. Or, if you sell food, you can offer themed meals or even a mystery flavour related to the World Cup, all of which will generate local hype and bring more attention to your business.
You know your local community better than anyone, so really think about what the locals care about, what makes them laugh and what’ll have them doing a double take.
But if you’re looking for some World Cup marketing advice in Liverpool, we’re the team for you. We know the city better than most, we understand what performs well, and we’re ready to help local businesses take advantage of the World Cup. Get in touch with the team to find out what we can do for you.
Themed Offers
There’s nothing that customers love more than a bargain. In this cost-of-living crisis, if there’s a way to snap up a bargain, we’re all taking it. The World Cup gives you plenty of opportunities to do some temporary themed offers with long-term payoff. Plenty of businesses are already executing this brilliantly, take Lidl, for example.
Lidl must have had this one locked and loaded, because right after Harry Kane helped drive the team to victory with an impressive two goals, earning him Man of the Match, Lidl sent an email out to all Lidl Rewards users, saying that every person with the last name Kane would receive £5 off their next shop to commemorate the match.
This simple, but effective, offer had the whole internet laughing and talking and serves as the perfect example of how to do a themed offer right.
Short-Form Social Content
If you’re one of our clients, you’re probably sick of hearing us talk about just how effective short-form social content is, but we say it so much because it’s true. Content is king, and as platforms become increasingly focused on video and audiences now prefer browsing videos to written posts, you need to take your business to where people are actually paying attention. Our social media marketing services are built around exactly this.
If you’re doing a deal for the World Cup, don’t just post about it; make a video. We’d also recommend getting involved in any current World Cup trends, as not only is it a great way to get your business in front of a new audience, but it’s an easy way to have a bit of fun at work.
Email/SMS Follow Ups
You’ve run the offer, you’ve posted the content, now close the loop. The World Cup gives you a genuinely compelling reason to land in someone’s inbox or messages without it feeling like a cold sell. A well-timed email or SMS during a tournament can feel like a nudge from a mate rather than a marketing hit, and that distinction can make a whole world of difference to the response.
Timing is everything, and if you’re clever, you can see some great results. A half-time send during a big England match. A post-win “we’re celebrating too” discount code. A commiserations follow-up with something to cheer customers up if it all goes south, timing is the difference between annoying marketing texts and something people actually want.
People are watching the match, not reading essays, so keep it punchy, keep it relevant, and make sure there’s a clear reason to act now rather than later.
Done well, a World Cup-themed email or SMS sequence can re-engage dormant customers, drive repeat purchases, and remind your audience that there’s a real personality behind your brand, without spending a penny on paid media.
B2B Angle
World Cup marketing isn’t just a B2C game. If your clients are businesses, there’s still plenty of mileage in the tournament; you just need to approach it from a slightly different angle.
Think less about flash sales and more about relevance. Think simple ideas, like a productivity piece on managing output during a tournament your whole team is distracted by, or even a LinkedIn post about what England’s squad can teach you about leadership or working across teams. These are the kinds of touches that keep your brand warm and memorable without feeling off for a business audience.
The World Cup also gives you a natural conversation starter with clients and prospects. A check-in email that references the tournament, a themed talking point in your next catch-up, or simply acknowledging it in your content shows that there are real people behind the business.
And in B2B, relationships are everything.
The SEO Opportunity: What People Are Searching For
Now, when it comes to SEO, you have to be realistic. You can’t just add ‘World Cup’ into a blog and expect to start ranking on one of the most competitive keywords right now; you have to be clever and capitalise on terms that you have a chance to rank for and what people are actually searching for.
You have to think outside the box, especially when marketing for the World Cup season. Take this blog, for example, when we conceptualised it, we were well aware that we weren’t going to start ranking for ‘World Cup’, but we knew we could rank for terms related to our marketing niche, like World Cup promotions and World Cup advertising.
For your business, you need to focus on niche keywords that aren’t too competitive. Now, we’d like to share some ideas, but we can’t give away all of our marketing secrets. However, if you want to work with an SEO team in Liverpool that can help you make the most of World Cup-related keywords, we’re here to help.
With the right SEO team on your side, you’ll be shocked at what you can achieve. And if you want to understand how search itself is shifting in 2026, it’s worth reading up on AEO vs SEO and what that means for your content strategy.
Our Favourite World Cup Marketing at Blaze
At Blaze HQ, something that we often discuss is the best ad campaigns that we’ve seen, and the World Cup has treated us to some brilliant ones.
Some of the best World Cup ads that we’ve seen include:
Irn-Bru: Susan Boyle and a Deep Fat Fryer
Nobody asked for this, but it turns out everyone needed it. Irn-Bru put a national treasure in an ad and told her to breakdance, and the result is the most chaotically Scottish thing to happen at this World Cup. This ad achieved exactly what all good ads should achieve: it got people talking. Genius is a strong word, but we’re using it anyway.
Heinz x Heineken: The Six-Pack Swap
Swapping one bottle in a six-pack for a bottle of ketchup sounds like an idea someone pitched as a joke, and then nobody stopped. It’s perfectly branded, completely unhinged, and makes you want both products at once. After a couple of beers, we all want a portion of chips, and what’s a better pairing than chips and ketchup? This is the kind of collab that makes you wonder why it took this long, and why every other brand is still doing the same tired stadium montage.
Hawkstone: Kaleb’s Leap
For their first-ever TV ad, Hawkstone did something the big lager brands forgot how to do years ago: show where the beer actually comes from. Kaleb, a field, a World Cup, and the full journey from grain to glass. It’s warm, it’s real, and it makes you feel something while Jeremy is still sneakily selling you a pint. Remarkable considering most beer ads peaked at “men laughing near a barbecue.” This ad also conveys an important message to Jeremy: the value of British farmers.
EE: Yes Boys
EE had the sharpest cultural read of the lot. Male loneliness is a genuine crisis, the manosphere is louder than ever, and football has always been one of the few spaces where men are allowed to properly show up for each other. Rather than ignore it, EE leaned straight in, building a campaign around brotherhood, connection, and being there on and off the pitch. Smart, timely, and actually quite emotional.
Lidl: Five Quid Harry Kane
Lidl looked at Harry Kane’s entire career trajectory and decided the correct price point was five pounds. It’s so stupid it circles back around to brilliant. When Harry scored two goals in England’s first game and was named man of the match, all Lidl Plus users with the last name Kane were treated to £5 off their next shop. This is a simple and funny way to get involved in the World Cup in a way that actually makes sense for Lidl.
Make the Most of the World Cup With Blaze Media
So there you have it, our top tips for marketing your business during the World Cup. This time of year offers businesses a great opportunity to connect with new audiences and showcase what they do, but to do it properly, you need a team on your side to help you make the most of it before the event ends.
Want an expert digital marketing agency on your side who can help you reach new audiences this summer? Get in touch.
