What role is packaging playing at the 2026 World Cup?

In this edition of the Brief we examine the use of packaging throughout this year’s FIFA World Cup, from limited edition packs, colour-changing beverage cans and football-themed lettuce packaging to FIFA’s recent U-turn on allowing reusable bottles within stadiums and consumer preference for plastic-free packaging. 

Collectible packaging 

According to market research company Zappi, packaging at the World Cup has gone collectible – article author Kirsten Lamb states that brands are ‘pulling out all the stops’ with localized designs, multi-sensory unboxing experiences and exclusive designer-led packaging and product drops. Reportedly, the global sports memorabilia market was valued at $5 billion in 2025 and is projected to expand at a Compound Annual Rate (CAGR) of 10% by 2030, with branded limited-edition packaging becoming ‘an essential part’ of sports collector culture ecosystem. 

So, what does this mean in practice? Lamb says that influencer unboxings and creator reveals have become increasingly popular in the run up to the World Cup, with 40% of online shoppers sharing pictures and videos of purchased items in branded packaging. The article also notes that bold team colours and unique geometric shapes common in World Cup packaging help to break up the ‘visual-mundanity’ of the standard grid pattern of retail shelves, disrupting eye tracking and focusing consumers’ attention on the box. 

Food and beverage packaging 

More specifically, many drinks brands have been launching special or limited edition packaging to appeal to football fans such as Coca-Cola North America and Panini America’s twelve peel-back labels, designed to reveal collectable stickers depicting football players from ten countries on select bottles. Consumers are invited to purchase 20-oz bottles of Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and peel back the label to reveal a randomly inserted Panini sticker. 

The companies say the stickers can be inserted into a dedicated Coca-Cola page in the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Sticker Album, or scanned with a smartphone to build a digital sticker album in the Panini Digital App. 

Coca-Cola Canada has released limited-edition cans with designs inspired by countries participating in the World Cup: Germany, France, Mexico, Brazil, the United States, and New Zealand. Each can features a unique code which consumers can scan to add the design to their online collection.  

They can also enter a sweepstakes to win one of five real footballs used in the tournament. The company says every ball will be presented in a ‘premium’ display caseand winners will receive a video brochure featuring match highlights, a microfibre towel, a colour insert card, and a FIFA Certificate of Authenticity. 

Also in the beverage packaging space, PepsiCo has unveiled 150,000 ‘Perfect Chilled’ variants out of its 86 million football-themed cans, said to change colour at the ‘optimal’ drinking temperature. Featuring a black and white football design, the cans also give fans the chance to win exclusive prizes.  

PepsiCo states that the ‘Perfect Chilled’ variants are printed with advanced temperature-sensitive ink that begins to react at 12°C and then turns a vibrant blue colour at the ‘optimal’ drinking temperature of 8°C. 

When it comes to recycling beverage cans consumed during this year’s World Cup matches, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has stated that the UK will consume an estimated 2 billion canned drinks according to Recycle Now and Every Can Counts, with a market value of around £28.5 million as recycling - enough to pay the transfer fees of some of the event’s top players.  

The NGO’s Recycle Now campaign aims to promote the recyclability of cans to fans at home and when out and about, using the phrases ‘Recycle your tinny for the winny!’ and ‘Don’t binny your tinny!’. WRAP claims that every aluminium can sold during the FIFA World Cup 2026 can be recycled and reused for every future World Cup tournament. 

In food packaging developments, Tesco recently re-packaged its iceberg lettuces in collaboration with G’s Group, applying a football-inspired print to the transparent filmto celebrate the World Cup. The retailer hopes the move will encourage families and children to eat healthily during the event.  

Online responses have been positive, with Jamie Laing, co-founder of Candy Kittens, writing:  

“I’ve seen lots of brands jumping on the World Cup hype recently. I’ve seen lots of awesome reactive creative work, but it can also sometimes feel like brands are overcomplicating/overhyping a moment for the sake of tapping into an audience who are never going to buy their products. 

“This feels like a top-tier bit of reactive marketing. So simple, immediately obvious, and does some good: makes the World Cup a reason to make a healthier choice.” 

Single use vs reuse in stadiums 

When it comes to how drinks will be consumed inside the stadiums themselves rather than at home or out an about, FIFA has recently come under criticism for banning reusable bottles from stadiums at the start of June, only to later amend its guidelines to include one ‘factory-sealed, single-use plastic bottle’ per spectator. The previous month, FIFA told The Athletic that spectators would be permitted to bring one factory-sealed water bottle if the weather forecast predicted high temperatures. 

Initially, a graphic was circulated to inform ticketholders that they could bring a plastic reusable bottle with a capacity of up to 1L (33.8 oz) as long as it was transparent, label-free, and filled only inside the stadium. Glass and hard thermal materials were not permitted. However, FIFA then updated its Code of Conduct and notified ticketholders that reusable bottles were no longer permitted in football stadiums, also banning ‘bottles, cups, cans or any other form of closed or capped receptacle that may be thrown or cause injury’.” 

The association’s decision sparked debate over whether fan safety is coming second to shareholder profit – but following the backlash, it announced that one single-use bottle would be permitted per spectator. This change also resulted in fans expressing concern that preventing fans from bringing their own drinks would have serious implications for human health, with some matches expected to take place in temperatures of over 28°C.  

In addition, multiple sources including the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) highlighted suspicions that the decision was a ‘money-grab’ – forcing spectators to purchase water at the venue and benefit FIFA’s long-term partnership with Coca-Cola.  

Consumer preference for plastic-free packaging 

Regarding consumer preferences for packaging during the World Cup events, Xampla recently released new research as part of London Climate Action Week, which found that 74% of the British public wants major sporting events such as the World Cup to use only plastic-free food packaging. The company added that the event is set to generate an estimated 156 tonnes of single-use plastic waste. 

According to the research, 49% of people said they did not realise that most paper and cardboard takeaway food boxes are lined with plastic, which can make food packaging difficult to recycle and more likely to end up in landfill. 79% said food packaging should ‘clearly state’ whether it contains plastic so they can make informed choices, and 80% believe all food packaging should be plastic-free where possible.  

Alexandra French, CEO of Xampla, commented: 

“Until now, consumers have had no choice other than to eat their half-time food in packaging made with plastic. With millions of people attending festivals and sporting events this summer, there is a real opportunity for food businesses, the events industry, and manufacturers to demonstrate that scalable, plastic-free alternatives already exist.” 

Bearing in mind that FIFA’s ban on reusable bottles was met with backlash and its single-use amendment was also remarked on for health concerns due to high temperatures, it’s important to consider consumer preferences surrounding reuse, single-use and plastic-free packaging in stadiums – but it’s also worth noting that brands have seized the opportunity to release limited edition variants and re-package existing items to tap into fans’ excitement over the World Cup.  

Is there a way to balance sustainably packaging food, beverages and overall World Cup themed products while delivering the level of unboxing experience and collectability referenced by Zappi? It will be interesting to keep an eye on how the World Cup (and world sports events in general) utilize the packaging space in these moments, and whether further efforts will be made to meet consumer expectations while delivering sustainable benefits. 

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