McDonald's is marking the upcoming tournament with limited-time meals and keepsakes for fans of all ages.
Starting June 4, customers can order a limited-time FIFA World Cup 26 meal, with choices that include a Big Mac or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets.
Each meal comes with one of nine collectible cups, featuring David Beckham, Christian Pulisic, Son Heung-min, and yes, Grimace.
The fast-food chain will also add soccer-themed Happy Meals from June 9, with 23 collectible Squishmallows plush toys.
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The product packaging will also come with a QR code that unlocks a digital game.
"At McDonald's, magic happens when families, friends, and fans come together and celebrate with the people they love," Morgan Flatley, global CMO and head of new business ventures at McDonald's, said in a press release.
The promotion extends to app rewards, community events, exclusive fan experiences, and tournament-themed activations tied to FIFA World Cup 26.
Soccer Stars and Squishmallows
The FIFA World Cup 26 Meal comes with a limited-edition gold-packaged Big Mac Sauce and a collectible cup featuring one of nine personalities.
The lineup includes Beckham, Ronaldinho, Pulisic, Son, Thierry Henry, Alphonso Davies, Santiago Gimenez, Lamine Yamal, and Grimace.
Pulisic's connection to the brand goes back to post-tournament rituals as a kid, adding a personal history that gives his cup sentimental weight.
"Growing up, it was our ritual after soccer tournaments to go to our McDonald's near Hershey, PA for Chicken McNuggets and a McFlurry," Pulisic shared.
"To now be featured on a McDonald's collectible cup all these years later is a full-circle moment."
Breakfast customers can also order a Sausage McMuffin with Egg or a Sausage Egg Biscuit with Hash Browns to receive one of the nine collectible cups.
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Happy Meals include Squishmallows characters in soccer jerseys and tournament mascots from Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.
Licensed collectibles give McDonald's a physical object that extends the campaign's reach every time a cup appears outside the restaurant.
48 Teams Mean More Markets and Meals
FIFA partnerships give brands a rare combination of emotional investment, global reach, and a built-in reason for repeat purchases.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar drew in 5 billion engaged fans across all media.
The France-Argentina final alone pulled 1.42 billion viewers and generated 621% more digital and social engagement than the 2018 final.
The 2026 World Cup expands from 32 to 48 teams, opening the tournament to more markets and longer brand exposure windows.
And McDonald's FIFA World Cup 26 Meal capitalizes on every week of this expanded window.
Three principles from McDonald's approach apply across any tournament sponsorship looking to convert fandom into foot traffic.
- Collectibles create urgency. Brands should pair limited-edition merch with everyday products to drive repeat purchases.
- Shared fandom strengthens participation. Marketers should connect products to sports events to increase emotional investment.
- Digital extensions maintain campaign engagement. Teams should add interactive experiences to keep attention after the initial purchase.
McDonald's is making every meal a chance to score with fans while keeping the World Cup excitement alive off the pitch.
Our Take: Why Does McDonald's Keep Winning With Collectibles?
McDonald's has been a FIFA World Cup sponsor since 1994, which means the collectible cup lineup arrives with three decades of consumer conditioning behind it.
The resale market explains the staying power.
Nostalgic collectible cups and character meals consistently resell on secondary platforms for more than the original cost of the meal.
Vintage McDonald's toys from the 1980s and 1990s now fetch anywhere from $10 to $700, depending on condition.
This secondary market is what makes a collectible worth keeping, and McDonald's has been producing them for longer than most brands have existed.
FOMO is still a real consumer behavior, so we expect brands to keep using collectible ranges and limited-edition marketing to appeal to audiences.
M&M's Love Island USA Play-Along Packs is another example, letting fans interact with the show while enjoying branded collectibles.
Brands looking to activate around major events can benefit from partnering with these top experiential marketing agencies that specialize in fan engagement.
