How to Invest Now If You Want to Profit from the 2026 World Cup

Soccer might not be the most popular sport in the United States, but the rest of the world is absolutely obsessed with it. That’s why the FIFA World Cup is the No. 1 sporting event on the planet, raking in more viewers than Super Bowl LX and the Beijing Winter Olympics combined.

And this year’s event in North America is going to be even bigger. For the first time in World Cup history, FIFA has let in 48 teams instead of the traditional 32. They’ll be competing in 104 matches across three different countries — and those games will be attended by some 5 million fans from all over the world.

You don’t have to follow soccer closely to know that this isn’t just a great cultural opportunity for North America. It’s also a great financial opportunity. The tournament is about to unleash billions in retail spend across just about every industry you can think of. FIFA’s own research estimates this one tournament will generate up to $40.9 billion.

Translation: A lot of companies are going to be World Cup winners. The trick for investors is trying to figure out which businesses are going to see a meaningful upside. Analysts have already flagged specific sectors they think are positioned to see big gains, and some stocks have already priced in the excitement.

Fortunately, there’s time for you to make some moves and leverage all of this World Cup fever.

Beer Stocks Are Going to Win Big this Summer

A lot of investors don’t instinctively buy up on beer stocks, but this might be the summer you want to reach for a couple of cold ones.

The logic here is pretty straightforward. Soccer fans meet up in bars, have watch parties, and stadium spending explodes. On top of that, you’ve got a huge rise in international tourism — and beer demand is directly pegged to all of that.

A few weeks ago, analysts at Jefferies predicted the World Cup would lift global beer sales by around 1 billion pints. That’s an incredible spike in demand, and will inevitably drive a re-rating for all the big heavyweights in this industry.

Unlike a lot of speculative trades surrounding the World Cup, this one is a tangible shift in consumer behavior. More importantly, it’s not directly exposed to geopolitical instability or sky-high oil prices in the same way airlines or hotels are being affected.

That makes beer a surprisingly smart move for investors wanting a simple way to cash in on World Cup spend. If this sounds like an opportunity you’d like to tap, start your search with Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), Constellation Brands (STZ), and Molson Coors Brewing (TAP). They all stand to make big gains on the tournament both at home and abroad.

So Are Machines of Global Merchandising

Everybody’s expecting sportswear brands to bring home the bacon this summer, too. Analysts at Goldman Sachs have already said brands like Adidas (ADDYY) and Nike (NKE) are the stocks to watch in this field. But there’s also a divide emerging between the two bands.

Adidas is leaning into the World Cup very aggressively. The company has fully integrated the tournament into its overall retail strategy with special-edition products, team kits, and dedicated merchandising campaigns. It’s been pushing these since late 2025, and these efforts are expected to generate an impressive sales boost in North America.

Nike is playing more of a long game. It sponsors all of the world’s top teams going into this tournament, and analysts at RBC Capital Markets estimate Nike could see up to $1.3 billion worth of additional revenue if the World Cup translates into broader consumer engagement.

Just tread carefully here, because the World Cup will also tell Wall Street a lot about the long-term resilience of both stocks. 

Nike and Adidas have been working hard to engineer larger turnarounds this year, but neither business has had a great couple of years. Investors who are already betting on the brands are taking on a little bit of extra risk in terms of brand momentum and the sustainability of consumer spend. After all, sportswear tends to feel like a bit of a luxury during sustained periods of inflation and reduced discretionary spend.

Travel Stocks May Get a Summer Surge

The most direct economic impact from the World Cup is probably going to center on travel. The tournament is being hosted in 16 cities across North America, and that’s going to create huge demand for flights, hotels, short-term vacation properties, restaurants, and local public transport.

That means a solid upside for travel-related companies.

Hotel chains like Marriott International (MAR), Hilton (HLT), and Hyatt Hotels (H) are expected to do well this summer, and so is Airbnb (ABNB). Big sporting events like the World Cup tend to overwhelm traditional hotel infrastructure, which often pushes travelers to look for alternative places to stay — and Airbnb has an incredibly strong command over North America’s rental market.

Airline companies are obviously going to generate extra business this summer, but the challenges airline stocks face is a lot more complicated.

Because airlines are heavily exposed to surging oil prices, they’re dealing with a dangerous balancing act right now. Supply is already strained, and so a big spike in demand won’t just increase revenue. It will also place margins under immense pressure. 

From an investor’s perspective, this one’s pretty messy — and so airlines might be worth a miss.

What Investors Need to Remember

Before you run out and start buying up on hotel and beer stocks, make sure you pump the brakes and conduct plenty of due diligence. Event-driven trades can get crowded very quickly, and so you may find that all of this short-term World Cup fever has already been priced into the stocks.

There are going to be some deals you can scoop up. However, you should focus less about short-term hype and more about the companies that are using the World Cup as an additional catalyst on top of an already sustainable outlook.

After all, the World Cup might be the globe’s premier sporting event, but you probably don’t want to put your money into a company relying entirely on one summer of soccer to save its skin.