World Cup 2026 Hospitality Opportunity Will be Won Before Kick-Off, New Research Reveals
New research from The Oxford Partnership suggests the hospitality industry may need to rethink traditional matchday strategies ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, with the biggest commercial opportunity expected to come before kick-off rather than after the final whistle.
Drawing on Oxford Market Watch trading data from England’s Euro 2024 fixtures, alongside a nationally representative survey of UK consumers, the findings suggest that later kick-off times, changing social behaviours and economic pressures are reshaping how consumers engage with major sporting occasions.
With many World Cup matches due to kick off at 9pm and 10pm UK time, consumers are becoming increasingly selective about when and where they spend their time and money. While interest in watching remains high, most consumers still expect to watch from home unless venues offer a compelling enough experience to draw them out.
The research identified three emerging audience groups: “Venue Seekers”, who actively want to watch in pubs and bars; “Home Defaults”, driven by convenience and cost; and a sizeable “Selective Participant” audience that remains up for grabs. Almost three in ten consumers remain undecided and could still be influenced by the right experience.
Crucially, Oxford Market Watch trading data found the strongest sales period occurs before matches even begin. Beer volume peaks in the one to two hours before kick-off, remains relatively stable during play and falls sharply after full time.
The consumer data reinforces this finding. Four in five venue-goers expect to arrive before kick-off, with 36% planning to arrive one to two hours early and only 30% expecting to book ahead, suggesting World Cup occasions will remain largely walk-in led.
Alison Jordan, CEO at The Oxford Partnership, said: “The assumption has often been that World Cup occasions generate spending throughout the evening and beyond the match itself. The evidence suggests something different. The commercial opportunity is increasingly concentrated before kick-off.
“Consumers are becoming more deliberate. They want convenience, atmosphere and certainty that the experience will be worth leaving home for. Operators that build around those needs, rather than relying on post-match trade, are likely to perform best.”
The research also highlights longer-term shifts already affecting hospitality, including growing moderation behaviours, changing food habits and stronger demand for experience-led occasions over purely transactional offers. Nearly a third of consumers said they expect to drink less or actively moderate during late-night fixtures.
For operators and suppliers, the message appears clear: World Cup 2026 may be one of hospitality’s biggest opportunities — but winning starts before the whistle blows.