For decades, the biggest brands in the world have spent billions of dollars trying to own the World Cup.
It's the pinnacle of global marketing, and every tournament brings another wave of commercials, athlete endorsements, experiential fan zones, limited-edition product launches… you know the drill.
This year alone, FIFA projects:
More than $13 billion in revenue this cycle
Over $4 billion in broadcast rights
Nearly $3 billion from ticketing and hospitality
And approx. $2.7 billion from sponsorship
Of course, there are the polished, well-executed global campaigns.
Nike is telling stories about the next generation of football. Adidas is leaning into heritage and community with backyard come-up stories. And naturally, McDonald's has rolled out collectible promotions across their chains in every major city.
But if you've spent any amount of time on TikTok over the past few weeks, you've probably noticed something else happening.
The videos people can't stop sharing aren't coming from official FIFA sponsors or million-dollar brand activations.
They're coming from international fans experiencing Waffle House for the first time.
Or Buc-ee's.
Or a first trip to Walmart and Costco.
And that’s not to mention the videos of TSA stopping thousands of fans from smuggling ranch out to the country. (relatable)
You see, the most compelling brand moments of the 2026 World Cup are happening organically as millions of international visitors experience everyday America for the very first time.
That's a fascinating shift for marketers because it suggests something we've been slowly moving toward for years: the most valuable brand moments are no longer always the ones we plan.
And it’s so entertaining to watch. I mean…did you see the Japanese fans trying Texas BBQ for the first time? Incredibly wholesome.
For many international visitors, this is their first time stepping foot in America. They're renting cars, stopping at gas stations, eating at roadside diners, wandering through Target, Trader Joe's, and Bass Pro Shops, and documenting every unexpected moment along the way.
Fans flying in from Argentina, Germany, Japan, or Scotland are living (and documenting) worthwhile experiences that many Americans don’t think twice about.
And that’s led to well-known local brands becoming global tourist destinations without changing a single thing about who they are.
Do you think anyone at Waffle House sat in a boardroom and developed a World Cup strategy? I’m not convinced.
Yet, social media has transformed many brands into cultural landmarks simply because they represent something “authentically American.” And it's making many Americans nostalgic for a version of ourselves that's often overshadowed by politics, bureaucracy, and division.
Basically, America is weird and tourists are loving every second of it.
The byproduct? Marketers are sitting back with popcorn in their lap watching these unpaid moments generate millions of impressions.
The irony is that marketers spend enormous amounts of time trying to manufacture authenticity through campaigns, creator partnerships, and storytelling. Meanwhile, these brands are generating massive amounts of engagement simply by giving people an experience they genuinely didn't expect.
From my POV, there's an executive lesson hiding underneath all of this.
As marketers, we've become conditioned to believe that every major cultural event requires a bigger activation, a larger budget, or a more elaborate campaign.
The World Cup is suggesting something much deeper and closer to home.
Perhaps the brands that resonate most are the ones creating experiences so memorable that people voluntarily make them part of the story.
That's a very different marketing strategy and one that is incredibly hard to recreate. Maybe instead of asking, “How do we show up?”
The better question is "Would someone choose to include us in their story?”
Bottom line, the next generation of brand equity will likely be built on pure authentic experience, and that can’t be fully bought. In the meantime, let’s let this experience heal the world and give us a reason to smile as we come together.
I want to double down on that.
