The World Cup Kicks Off Soon! A Quick Look at 7 Major Investment Themes

The summer of 2026 is destined to belong to football. As the countdown to the US-Canada-Mexico World Cup hits zero, the globe will enter a 39-day "football time." This is not only the largest World Cup in history (104 matches, 48 teams) but also an unprecedented commercial feast.

Deutsche Bank notes that because the event is held in the North American time zone with a significantly extended schedule, commercial exposure for related companies will be markedly higher than in previous editions.

From pre-match fan betting and sports equipment production, to in-match media broadcasting rights and concentrated brand ad placements; from offline viewing parties and beverage consumption to fans' cross-border travel and accommodation, and finally extending to omnichannel payment settlements—a complete chain of seven major investment themes has formed.

This article integrates research reports from investment banks to comprehensively outline seven investment themes—betting/prediction markets, sporting goods, advertising/media, tourism, offline consumption, beverages, and payments—along with their corresponding core US stocks.

1. Betting/Prediction Markets

The concentrated surge in global fan attention directly stimulates demand for legal sports betting and sports prediction contracts. On one hand, a massive influx of casual bettors significantly boosts platform active user scale; on the other hand, per-user betting frequency and transaction volumes rise, simultaneously thickening platform commissions and fee income.

Macquarie’s latest research predicts that global betting volume for the 2026 World Cup could surpass $50 billion. With the legalization rate of sports betting in US states reaching 65%, the ceiling for this market has been completely lifted.

$Robinhood(HOOD)$  : As an emerging brokerage, HOOD has been actively expanding its prediction contract offerings. The high attention surrounding the World Cup will drive up trading volume and fee income for its prediction contracts.

$Coinbase Global, Inc.(COIN)$  : COIN completed its acquisition of prediction market firm The Clearing in late 2025, bringing event predictions into the compliant crypto ecosystem. The World Cup serves as the perfect stage to showcase this new business.

$DraftKings Inc.(DKNG)$  : As one of North America's leading sports betting platforms, Morgan Stanley has raised its Q2 wagering growth forecast to approximately 8% due to the World Cup. Deutsche Bank also lists it as a key beneficiary of peak trading during the event.

$Flutter Entertainment PLC(FLUT)$  : The parent company of FanDuel, holding the #1 market share in US sports betting. Macquarie believes its deep footprint in both Europe and North America makes it the most certain beneficiary of the global betting boom.

$MGM Resorts International(MGM)$  : MGM is explicitly recommended by Goldman Sachs as a World Cup-benefiting betting operator, where offline casino services create synergies with online betting.

2. Sporting Goods

National teams and official sponsors will gain high-frequency global exposure, elevating long-term brand value and driving year-round apparel and footwear sales. Second, the short-term demand for jerseys, fan commemorative T-shirts, training gear, and casual viewing shoes surges.

$NIKE (NIKE.US)$: Sponsoring multiple top national teams globally and holding the #1 market share in football categories. During the event cycle, global stores will heavily stock national team jerseys and training gear, providing strong catalysts for terminal sales.

$adidas AG (ADDYY.US)$: FIFA's longest-standing official equipment supplier, exclusively providing match balls, referee kits, and official merchandise. It enjoys unrivaled brand exposure throughout the tournament, with exclusive supply of official fan gear bringing stable incremental growth.

$Deckers Outdoor (DECK.US)$: The event drives casual footwear consumption, leading to a phased increase in casual sports category sales.

$Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS.US)$: The largest domestic US sporting goods retail channel. Stores are fully stocked with World Cup jerseys, flags, and fan merchandise, directly capturing end-user mass consumer demand with significantly improved single-store sales.

3. Advertising & Media: 

As a top-tier global traffic IP, advertising slots during the World Cup are "hard currency." Deutsche Bank expects that because match times perfectly align with North American prime time, this World Cup will generate the highest US advertising revenue in tournament history. US streaming platforms, traditional TV networks, broadcasters all benefit.

$Fox Corp-A (FOXA.US)$: The most direct beneficiary. FOX Sports holds the exclusive US English-language broadcasting rights for all 104 matches. This is the biggest engine for FOX’s second-half earnings beat.

$Comcast (CMCSA.US)$: Its Telemundo network holds the Spanish-language rights, boasting a massive Hispanic audience base in the US with significant incremental ad revenue.

$Alphabet-A (GOOGL.US)$: YouTube has secured short-video distribution rights. Additionally, Google has sponsored ITV’s World Cup coverage in the UK.

$Disney (DIS.US)$: ESPN and ABC are core platforms for year-round football broadcasting. Although some rights belong to FOX, analytical shows and peripheral content around the matches will boost viewer retention.

4. Tourism

Spanning the North American continent, this World Cup requires fans to frequently travel between cities, creating consumption dividends. First, OTA platforms see a surge in viewing packages and hotel bookings; second, airlines add intercontinental and short-haul viewing routes, pushing up load factors and ticket prices; third, cruise lines and tourism firms launch exclusive World Cup travel products. Goldman Sachs lists accommodation and aviation as sectors receiving significant boosts.

$Booking Holdings (BKNG.US)$ , $Expedia (EXPE.US)$, $Airbnb (ABNB.US)$: Goldman Sachs heavily recommends these three lodging leaders. With ample hotel and homestay inventory in host cities across Europe and the Americas, fan accommodation orders exploded months in advance, greatly boosting platform commission income.

$Royal Caribbean (RCL.US)$: The official travel partner for Miami, a 2026 host city. It has launched bundled cruise-and-viewing packages, leveraging the cruise setting to provide overseas fans with one-stop viewing and vacation experiences.

$Delta Air Lines (DAL.US)$, $United Airlines (UAL.US)$, $American Airlines (AAL.US)$: GS's core recommendations for North American airlines. They have added numerous intercontinental viewing routes. Surging passenger traffic during the event pushes up fares and load factors, highlighting revenue growth.

$Southwest Airlines (LUV.US)$: Added short-haul routes between host cities to capture domestic fan mobility and fill the gap in short-distance travel demand.

5. Offline Consumption

First, hotel occupancy rates and room prices in host cities rise synchronously, significantly improving RevPAR; second, home and pub viewing drives foot traffic to fast-food, pizza, casual dining, and bar chains, lifting average ticket sizes and table turnover rates. Zacks and RBC have both issued special reports favoring the hotel and restaurant sector.

$Marriott International (MAR.US)$, $Hilton Worldwide (HLT.US)$ , $Hyatt Hotels (H.US)$ , $InterContinental Hotels (IHG.US)$: Marriott is the official North American hotel partner for the 2026 World Cup. IHG, Hilton, and Hyatt have abundant existing stores in host cities; out-of-town fan demand pushes up occupancy and room rates. Zacks explicitly states the event can significantly enhance industry resilience and raise annual operating expectations.

$McDonald's (MCD.US)$: A long-term official partner. RBC estimates that during the event, US offline store traffic and delivery orders will grow synchronously, leading to a significant YoY revenue increase.

$Restaurant Brands International (QSR.US)$, $Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG.US)$: Burger and casual dining stores are concentrated in core commercial districts of host cities, fitting the offline fan gathering scenario. RBC lists Chipotle as a core offline consumption beneficiary with clear foot traffic improvements.

$Texas Roadhouse (TXRH.US)$: An American chain steakhouse/bar, mostly located on suburban main roads with large-screen live broadcasts, serving as a core venue for offline fan gatherings.

6. Beverages

Viewing parties cause beer and soft drink demand to grow. Goldman Sachs repeatedly emphasized in March and June reports that brewers will be the biggest winners of this World Cup.

$Anheuser-Busch Inbev (BUD.US)$, $Ambev SA (ABEV.US)$ : BUD has been an official World Cup sponsor for four consecutive decades. Global channels will heavily stock products during the event, giving it the highest sales elasticity in the sector. ABEV, AB InBev's Latin American subsidiary, deeply covers the core South American fan market.

$Constellation Brands (STZ.US)$: Explicitly listed by GS as a core beneficiary in the beer track, with significantly increased stocking in overseas offline bar channels.

$Coca-Cola (KO.US)$, $PepsiCo (PEP.US)$: Goldman identifies Coca-Cola as the core soft drink beneficiary. Pepsi, as an official secondary sponsor, will see beverage sales rise through omnichannel placement in supermarkets, restaurants, and stadiums.

7. Payments Sector 

The World Cup covers all consumption scenarios—from stadium purchases and cross-border fan travel to offline dining/lodging and online merchandise shopping—requiring unified cross-border payment service providers.

$Visa (V.US)$: FIFA's exclusive global financial services partner and the sole official payment provider for this World Cup. Visa settles all in-stadium spending, cross-border card swipes, and online/offline merchandise purchases, enjoying a global monopoly on event-related transactions with highly certain volume growth.

In summary, the summer of 2026 will be not only a competitive arena for players but also an earnings catalyst for listed companies. Some enterprises will secure definitive opportunities through exclusive official sponsorships, broadcasting rights, and unique channels, while others will achieve earnings growth by riding the overall industry traffic wave.

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