World Cup bonus: $3.8bn of extra sporting goods sales expected
Published: 09:37 19 Jan 2026 EST
A potential extra £3.8 billion of product sales of sporting goods could be driven by the FIFA World Cup in America this year, according to analysts at Citi.
The potential market for global World Cup-related sales around the globe are expected to include different nations' team kits (or "jerseys", as they call them at the US bank), balls and other "culturally relevant products".
Citi assessed the sales opportunity by considering which brands sponsor national teams, the populations of those countries, and their predicted success at the tournament based on market odds.
Analysts then used this framework to estimate the potential revenue share by brand, depending on each team's visibility and progression in the tournament.
The World Cup period, which this year takes place from 11 June to 19 July, typically drives a spike in merchandise sales for key brands in the sports retail space, with this year's event expected to be a material tailwind for the sector.
