World Cup OOH Advertising: The Real Moments Happening Outside the 90 Minutes
Author: Caroline Decourcy, Effectiveness Director
The FIFA World Cup is one of the most widely viewed and followed sporting events in the world. It will be jointly hosted by the countries of Canada, Mexico, and the USA, featuring 48 teams, expanding from the previous 32-team format, competing in 104 matches across multiple host cities. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is projected to attract 5 million in-person spectators and 6 billion global viewers. You can already feel the excitement building and creeping in – from small comments in the kitchen at work, a revived WhatsApp group, to someone asking “who’s got the biggest TV.” With Ireland still in the play-offs, that early background noise has an extra edge to it, setting the mood for this summer’s World Cup.
The tournament dates are set from June 11 to July 19, 2026, with the finals taking place in July. This summer’s World Cup will introduce mandatory three-minute water breaks during each half due to the hot climates in North America. These breaks present new advertising opportunities, including broadcasters airing adverts during the pauses, which adds a fresh dynamic to the overall advertising landscape surrounding the event.
Our latest research into Irish World Cup behaviour reveals that the real action doesn’t sit neatly within the 90 minutes on the pitch. Far from it. In fact, the moments surrounding match days are where the real story unfolds, and where brands and broadcasters need to pay closer attention to engage fans effectively.
Who we’re Really Talking To: Fans
Using our PULSE_ Brand Tracker – Talon’s bespoke measurement platform, we partnered with Opinions to interview 501 recent OOH recallers and found that over half (53%) plan on watching the FIFA World Cup 2026. But it’s what sits behind that headline that tells the real story.
Fans aren’t gravitating to one predictable viewing spot. Instead, they’re marking the occasion(s) as an opportunity to socialise in pubs (42%), at friends’ houses (28%), or opening their doors to host (25%). It’s a mix of settings, routines, and social setups that give us a much richer picture of how the FIFA World Cup tournament will be experienced. Through all these variations, one thing stays consistent: audiences are on the move.
When you look at their travel patterns, this becomes even clearer. Over half (51%) say they’ll stay in their local area to watch games, while 36% will travel within the same town or city if necessary, and 8% go so far as to say they will travel to another town or city to watch the games. Not only that, but these audiences predominantly choose public transport to get around, with 53% choosing the bus, 28% plan to use taxis, 25% plan to jump on the LUAS, and a further 21% plan on taking the DART. High-traffic areas such as transit hubs, airports, and city centres are targeted for World Cup OOH advertising during the tournament.
People are coming together, splitting up, re-grouping, and creating spikes of activity across local towns and cities, making the lead-up to match days an important time for brands to connect with fans beyond the pitch.
The Pre-Match Rituals for the FIFA World Cup 2026
One of the clearest patterns in the data is everything that happens before the whistle blows. Fans are showing up well before kick-off, and the build-up is where some of the most consistent behaviours take place. With 52% buying snacks or alcohol, 40% ordering takeaway, 30% socialising before matches, 30% placing bets, and 25% stopping at shops, there’s a surprising amount of activity happening long before anyone sits down to watch.
Multisensory experiences in advertising can generate 3–4x higher engagement compared to standard displays. Programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) is now used for real-time score updates during the World Cup, while Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) allows instant ad updates based on match results and live events, keeping fans engaged as teams advance through each round. Using live data in OOH campaigns increases brain response by 32%, making these strategies highly effective for brands looking to connect with fans on the pitch and beyond. Interactive elements such as gamified installations and geofencing tied to stadiums, pubs, and other venues further enhance fan engagement, encouraging active participation and social sharing.
These pre-match rituals aren’t just habits; they directly translate into spending. Among those planning to watch, 53% say they’ll spend more on snacks, 52% on beers, 45% on takeaways, 42% on crisps, and a quarter plan to spend more on wine (25%) and spirits (23%). Only 10% say they won’t spend more at all. This matters because 90% of fans take follow-up actions after seeing World Cup OOH advertising during major sporting events, and 96% of interested fans would actively engage with such ads.
Then there’s the mid-week shift.
Almost half (49%) of fans say their social habits will change during the tournament, with 40% planning to socialise more mid-week than usual. This opens up entirely new windows where fans are out, about, and more open to influence.
As Ireland leans into the possibility of a World Cup summer, our research makes one thing clear: regardless of the results, fans will be moving, gathering, stocking up, spending, re-routing their days, and reshaping their weeks around the tournament.
Not just in the 90 minutes themselves, but in everything that surrounds them. Taken together, these behaviours turn the World Cup into a full summer season lived outside of the home.
