How the 2026 World Cup is Changing the Football Gift Market

The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is well underway. There has been growing interest in people placing bets on the World Cup and in getting football team gifts so they can support their home nations ahead of the action.

There are huge numbers of jerseys being ordered, as well as framed prints, personalised mugs, scarves, and stadium memorabilia. Gift retailers across England, Spain and France in particular are very busy, as these teams are expected to go the deepest in the tournament.

It’s also the first World Cup with the new 48-team format and the first that will take place across three countries. That means there are massive possibilities in terms of the gift economy around this rendition. With so many teams, storylines, and pre-tournament hype, it means that there will be a huge amount of demand for merchandise.

Busiest Time for Retailers

Football gifts always spike around major international tournaments, as the world pauses to watch the action and cheer on their teams. Replica jerseys in particular see a big uptick, focusing on the star players usually. The gift market needs to respond to events quickly in order to meet demand.

One of the most popular at the moment is the number 19 jersey for Spain, as this is occupied by the teenager Lamine Yamal, who took the world by storm two years ago when helping Spain with Euro 2024. Spain are the outright favourites so people are looking to get their Spanish merchandise.

Kylian Mbappe is on a different level too, as he’s one of the most established forwards in the world and his France jersey has been a strong seller for almost a decade at this stage. One of the merchandise angles focuses around his pursuit of the all-time World Cup goalscoring record, as he’s only five goals short of Miroslav Klose’s 16-goal haul.

He could potentially break this record this summer, especially with the expanded format that sees an extra knockout round taking place after the group stages. Memorabilia is already printed for him doing so, including framed prints, commemorative scarves and limited-run posters.

In terms of the England team, Jude Bellingham is the clear star and his England jersey is the best-selling of all time within the country. Bellingham mugs and personalised items are getting the level of interest reserved for stars like David Beckham and Wayne Rooney in the past.

In each case, it’s the teams at the top of the betting odds that tend to dominate the gift markets, but that doesn’t mean even the lowest ranked team’s supporters will miss out.

The Expanded Tournament

The 48-team format for the gift market means more teams will be guaranteed on television deeper into the tournament than ever before. That means merchandise sellers will have a longer window in which to sell, as a team that previously exited during the group stage will now have at least one knockout game to their name in many cases, which can be enough to convince fans to buy a jersey, as they’ll get good use out of it.

Morocco proved in 2022 in its run to the semi-finals how an unexpected run can sustain merchandise demand for a full year after the fact. Teams like the US, Mexico, Senegal, and Japan are all well-positioned to make similar deep runs in 2026.

The host nations are always particularly interesting case studies. Mexico already has a large and established gift market and US retailers are reporting early demand for football gifts that weren’t popular in previous cycles. The stability of this demand will depend on their results, but the floor is certainly higher than ever before.

What the Data Says

There is some interesting data emerging about pre-order activity. It shows that jerseys are still the go-to favourite and probably always will be. However, the 2022 renewal was dominated by a handful of marquee shirts for teams like Argentina, Brazil, Germany, and France. The 2026 pre-order cycle is showing a flatter distribution, with more teams selling significant volumes.

Personalisation is also growing in popularity. People are adding something extra to their jerseys, mugs or prints, which adds extra margin to the sales. World Cup summers are full of memorable occasions, which make them very suitable for memorable personalised gifts. Retailers that can turn around these orders within a few days of a notable match will do well.

Finally, an interesting category that’s emerging is humour and novelty. Mugs with managerial quotes, prints poking fun at rivalries, novelty socks and tournament-themed board games all appear and are reliable sellers.

A Six-Week Commercial Event

The start of the tournament in June will see the gift markets moving fluidly, depending on what teams are going well. A surprise quarter-finalist could lead to a run on jerseys or a breakout player could generate a new personalised category within 24 hours. A controversial semi-final could lead to a wave of mugs and prints aimed at the supporters of the losing side.

The World Cup is huge for the football gift sector, as they have to be active and responsive at all times. The smartest ones will follow closely player narratives and cultural moments in real time and turn them into a product. By the time the final takes place in MetLife Stadium in late July, huge volumes of merchandise will have been sold and it looks to be on track that it will be a record-breaking final figure.

There are endless storylines, whether it’s Mbappe chasing the goalscoring record, Argentina’s last chance with a golden generation, England trying to avoid another penalty shootout heartbreak, or Spain trying to prove that their favourite tag isn’t a fluke. Merchandise sellers are now gearing up for their busiest period every four years.