The data, commissioned by leading discount site VoucherCodes.co.uk, shows that this tournament’s late-night fixtures will generate a substantial wave of prior preparation and next-day consumption.
Viewing timing is set to create an additional retail window that extends well beyond the final whistle.
VoucherCodes.co.uk identifies distinct spending phases that will take place around the tournament. These include matchday consumption, and morning after-recovery.
While pre-match upgrades include one-off, higher value purchases, snacks and drinks will rule match-day consumption.
But, according to VoucherCodes.co.uk, the hidden value for retailers lies in the morning after. 5.2 million coffees and hangover breakfasts are expected to be purchased, driven by food-to-go, convenience and top up missions.
This spending will be exacerbated by the 2 million people estimated to call in sick as a result of staying up, or out, late to enjoy the sporting event.
Moji Oshisanya, chief commercial officer at VoucherCodes.co.uk, said retailers still strategising around a 90-minute window will miss the mark: “Focusing on gameplay alone means you are following outdated consumption patterns – and the location and timing of this World Cup will really bring that misdirection to light,” she said.
“Consumer behaviour doesn’t start, or stop, at full-time. Late fixtures mean the commercial window extends to a distinct preparation phase, and bleeds heavily into the morning after. Retailers that fail to plan for these waves will miss out.”
Although most World Cup retail strategies will be well into the execution stage, Oshisanya highlighted actions retailers can still take now to optimise ahead of the sporting extravaganza.
“Treat each match as a two‑day event by adding timed evening, morning‑after and lunchtime messages to your existing schedule – whether that’s social content, promotional offers or well-scheduled push notifications.”
“Encourage the workforce to kick into action the next day by creating simple bundles using current SKUs to capture predictable purchases. An obvious choice would be coffee, breakfast and hydration – but apply the understanding of your customer, and how and when they’re likely to shop, to benefit sales potential.”
And, if it’s too late to make meaningful changes, Oshisanya concluded: “Note down any learnings, observations and track retail performance from now on, so you can update your cultural event playbooks ahead of time.
“Formalising awareness means teams will begin to plan for multi-spend occasions from the off-set, creating a stronger market position next time.”
Oshisanya urged retailers to take learnings from the data and adapt strategies well beyond the World Cup, noting that this pattern reflects a broader shift in how consumers engage with cultural moments. Instead of single‑spike events, occasions are now driving longer, multi‑phase retail cycles.
“Retailers who act quickly, and build these extended windows into their planning, will be best placed to capture the full value of future cultural moments.”
The full 2026 World Cup Spending Report can be read here.