Every four years, the FIFA World Cup turns the planet into one enormous watch party. But 2026 is different. For the first time since 1994, the tournament is being played on American soil, spread across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, with 104 matches running from June 11 through July 19.
That means this is not just a global sports moment.
McDonald's goes all in with Beckham, Pulisic, and Grimace
McDonald's has been an official FIFA World Cup sponsor since 1994, so it is no surprise that the chain is leading the field this summer. According to the McDonald's official newsroom, starting June 4, fans across the U.S. can savor every goal with the FIFA World Cup 26™ Meal, complete with your choice of a Big Mac® or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets® paired with our limited edition, gold packaged Big Mac Sauce.
With each meal, fans will also score one of nine collectible cups featuring soccer icons Christian Pulisic, David Beckham, Ronaldinho Gaucho, Thierry Henry, Son Heung-Min, Lamine Yamal, Alphonso Davies, Santiago Gimenez...and our very own certified legend, Grimace.
For younger fans, the FIFA World Cup 26 Happy Meal launched on June 9 with 23 collectible Squishmallow plushies dressed in tournament-inspired soccer jerseys, including the three official host-country mascots:
Clutch the bald eagle for the US, Maple the moose for Canada, and Zayu the jaguar for Mexico. Each Happy Meal includes a scannable code for an exclusive digital game, and McDonald's has confirmed that a portion of every Happy Meal sold in the US will benefit Ronald McDonald House families.
Baskin-Robbins built a flavor that tastes like a goal celebration
Not every World Cup promotion involves a burger. Baskin-Robbins announced via its official press release that its June 2026 Flavor of the Month is Fútbol Fireworks, available at participating locations nationwide from June 1.
The flavor combines sweet cream soda ice cream and cherry sherbet, both new additions to the Baskin-Robbins lineup, layered with blue raspberry swirls and finished with green apple-flavored popping candy. It is also available as a milkshake, blended with milk and simple syrup so the popping candy experience survives the straw.
Nicole Boutwell, Vice President of Brand Marketing and Culinary at Baskin-Robbins, described the flavor as designed to match the energy of soccer fandom. The popping candy in particular is worth noting: it is an intentional choice, meant to deliver a fizzy burst that reads as celebratory rather than just sweet. For a dessert chain competing for attention against the full force of the McDonald's FIFA machine, Fútbol Fireworks is a smart, sensory-led play.
Grubhub turns the entire tournament into a three-week deal event
While individual chains are launching their own promotions, Grubhub is running a World Cup-wide campaign that brings together more than a dozen restaurant brands.
Grubhub is celebrating the FIFA World Cup by offering several freebies, BOGOs, fan‑favorite deals, and $0 delivery and service fees on restaurant orders over $50. The promotion runs for three weeks, with over 10 separate deals.
Week 1 (6/29–7/5)
- KFC — BOGO 2pc Chicken Combo ($15 min)
- Primo Hoagies — $15 off $50+
- Burger King — BOGO Whopper Jr ($15 min)
- Shake Shack — Free Bacon Cheeseburger ($25 min)
Week 2 (7/6–7/12)
- Popeyes — BOGO 4pc Signature Chicken or Chicken Sandwich ($15 min)
- Pizza Hut — BOGO Personal Pan Pizza ($35 min, up to $10)
- Wingstop — Free 10pc Wings ($30 min, up to $9.49)
- Wendy’s — BOGO Spicy Chicken Sandwich ($20 min)
- Tacombi — 30% off $40+ (up to $12)
Week 3 (7/13–7/19)
- Wonder — 30% off at all Wonder restaurants (minimums vary by restaurant)
- Taco Bell — BOGO Chicken or Cheese Quesadilla ($20 min)
- Subway — Spend $20, get a free 6″ Tuna, Turkey, Spicy Italian, or Sweet Onion Teriyaki
Other brands participating in the world cup fun
Auntie Anne's launched the Pitch Pack on June 3, a soccer-inspired shareable box featuring any two pretzel nugget or mini dog flavors plus two dips, available through July 31. The chain also released limited-edition merch, including Nugget plushies dressed in custom pretzel jerseys and soccer-themed scarves.
Lay's, the official snack sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026, is releasing three limited-edition flavors in the US for the tournament: Wavy French Onion Soup, Brazilian Style Garlic Sauce, and Argentinian Style Steak with Chimichurri. That last one is the standout. The Argentinian flavor was developed in collaboration with Lionel Messi himself. For a snack brand, that is about as good as a World Cup activation gets.
Coca-Cola, the official drink sponsor of the tournament, is running two parallel promotions. The first is a limited-edition soccer ball-shaped bottle, priced at $2.50 and available at Walmart stores nationwide. The second is a Panini sticker partnership: collectors find officially licensed FIFA World Cup player stickers under the peel-back labels of 20-oz Coke and Coke Zero bottles, sold at Target, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, and Dollar General. The company says more than one billion stickers will be distributed globally. It is the kind of promotion that turns a routine grocery run into a scavenger hunt.
New York City takes a different approach entirely
Not everything happening at the intersection of the World Cup and food is corporate. In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani launched an initiative called the Five Borough Winners Special.
The program will offer $26 drink-and-meal specials at participating bars, restaurants, and food establishments across the city, giving New Yorkers and visitors reliable, priced dining options throughout the tournament. Nearly 600 businesses across all five boroughs have already signed up to participate in the program, and Mayor Mamdani encouraged any food establishment interested in joining to enroll.
Businesses may participate in the program in three ways.
- $26 Offer: Participating establishments may offer any food or beverage special for $26, including prix-fixe menus, beverage-and-bite pairings, drink specials or other promotions. The deadline to register is July 1, 2026, and the program will run throughout the tournament from June 11 through July 19.
- Limited-Edition Cup Giveaway: Participating establishments may offer a limited-edition commemorative cup with the purchase of a food or beverage item. Featuring a different design for each borough, the 24-ounce reusable cups are dishwasher safe and intended for cold beverages only. Diners will be encouraged to collect all five cups and share their experiences on social media. Businesses that register before June 11, 2026, will receive two free cases of cups — 96 cups total — before July 4 while supplies last.
- Both $26 Offer & Cup Giveaway: Participating establishments may combine both the $26 special and the cup giveaway.
Soccer may be the reason everyone is gathered around the screen this summer, but food is the reason nobody wants to leave.
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