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World Cup Promotion and Marketing Ideas for Pubs and Bars

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be one of the biggest sporting events of the year – a six-week cultural moment expected to break global viewership records. For UK pubs and bars, that represents an enormous revenue opportunity, with trade surging 30–40% on matchdays (UKHospitality). So, now is the time to get your World Cup strategy in place. 

In this article, we'll look at some of the ways pubs and bars can boost their bookings and maximise revenue throughout the tournament this summer.

Posted 31/03/2026

What do fans actually want from venues showing sport? 

DesignMyNight surveyed consumers ahead of the 2026 World Cup to understand exactly what they're looking for when choosing a viewing venue, and the results are in: 

  • 41% say atmosphere is their top priority when booking 

  • 37% say big screens are their second top priority 

  • 64% say a poor view of the match would ruin their experience 

  • 47% would pay extra for a prime viewing spot 

  • 40% are already planning to book a venue or buy tickets for World Cup events 

  • 82% would rather miss a drink order than miss a goal 

  • 51% will pre-order if there is a special deal or offer on 

The message is clear: fans want great atmosphere, guaranteed sightlines and easy ordering options – and they’re willing to pay for this.  

When planning your World Cup promotion ideas, make these elements the cornerstones of your offering and marketing efforts to capture the demand and fill every seat with ease.

 

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World Cup promotion ideas

1. Make your big screen the main event

 Your amenities are going to be a decisive factor in customers choosing your venue, so you need to spotlight your venue’s best features in your marketing. 

Given that 37% of customers say big screens are one of their top priorities when making this decision, it’s crucial that your promotional strategy highlights this benefit in particular – if your venue can deliver on it.  

If your venue can’t currently provide big screen viewing, it’s worth seeing what updates can be made to your indoor and outdoor spaces to introduce permanent or temporary viewing areas. With a 30–40% increase in pub and bar sales reported by UKHospitality for matchdays during the 2022 World Cup, it pays to introduce desirable features and capitalise on the occasion if your venue has the capacity for it. 

When establishing these areas, consider prioritising reserved seating over general standing areas, as 64% of fans say a poor view would ruin their experience. Booking system data from the last World Cup echoes this, revealing that the word ‘table’ was referenced far more often than ‘area’ in booking labels, pointing to a strong preference for reserved seating with guaranteed sightlines. 

So, get those screens splashed over your website, social profiles and marketing communications, and update your booking widget to include guaranteed view tables. Let the fans know that your venue is the place to be for primetime viewing. 

2. Use ticketed events to drive demand and revenue 

One of the most effective World Cup marketing ideas is turning match screenings into ticketed events. With 40% of fans already planning to book a venue or buy tickets for World Cup events, and 47% would pay extra for a prime viewing spot, there’s a clear appetite for a more structured, premium experience. 

 

Venues can run ticketed events that sell tickets with a guaranteed view, creating a sense of exclusivity and urgency, encouraging fans to commit early and avoid missing out. This provides a marketing hook that general admission simply doesn’t and is a real commercial opportunity for venues that get ahead of it.  

 

Ticketed events can also be bundled with a food and drink package, generating pre-event sales and helping you plan staffing and stock accordingly. Increase average order value, reduce bar queues on matchdays and guarantee revenue before your doors even open. 

 

The numbers support this approach. Data from 2022 World Cup events listed on Tonic shows the revenue potential is significant: 

  • The average ticket price was £28, with an average basket value of £51 once add-ons were included 

  • World Cup ticket prices ran 60% higher than equivalent Euros events, and basket values 50% higher 

  • The most popular add-ons were buckets or jugs of beer 

 

With 51% of fans saying they'll pre-order when a special deal is on offer, a well-priced drinks bundle at the point of ticket purchase is one of the simplest revenue wins available to you this tournament. 
 

3. Get creative with menus and flexible ordering options 

Beyond securing bookings and attracting guests, the World Cup is a genuine opportunity to build a memorable experience that keeps fans coming back for every game and driving incremental revenue at every touchpoint.  

 

Themed food and drink menus are one of the easiest and most effective ways to do this. Building cocktails and menu items around the competing nations gives fans something to engage with beyond the match itself. 

 

Think about the full match-day journey too, not just kick-off. A dedicated snack menu of shareable finger foods (think nachos, mozzarella dippers and sharing platters) keeps customer spend flowing throughout the game without disrupting the viewing experience.  

 

And pair this with at-table order and payment options to let fans reorder whenever they like without missing a moment of the action – especially important when 82% of fans would rather miss a drinks order than miss a goal. A simple QR code scan is all it takes to solve this dilemma and give fans the best of both worlds, while the reduction in bar queue pressure during key match moments is a meaningful operational win too. 

4. Don’t underestimate the power of previous visitors 

Your existing customer base is one of your most valuable and most underused World Cup marketing assets. These are people who already know your venue, have chosen you before and are far more likely to book again than a cold audience seeing your name for the first time.  

 

Getting your World Cup plans in front of them early should be a core pillar of your promotional strategy. 

 

Use your CRM system to make this as powerful as possible. Rather than sending a blanket message to your entire database, you can segment your audience and prioritise customers who have previously engaged with sporting event communications or offers. They’re the people most likely to act. This kind of targeted outreach tends to significantly outperform general broadcast emails, both in open rates and conversions. 

 

Done well, a well-timed CRM campaign can fill your booking slots before you've spent a penny on paid promotion, making it one of the highest-ROI World Cup marketing moves available to any pub or bar operator. 

Ready to own your World Cup moment? 

Planning your World Cup promotional offering now gives you the best chance of filling every seat and maximising revenue throughout the tournament.  

 

From ticketed matchday experiences and pre-ordered drinks packages to flexible ordering, creative menu items and targeted marketing, the tools are all there.  

 

It's just a matter of getting set up ahead of the first whistle. 

 

Get your hands on the full World Cup 2026 Insights to better understand consumer intent, booking trends and ordering habits around the World Cup, helping you get ahead with your matchday marketing game plan.