Sports Hospitality: How Local Businesses can Increase Revenue During the Fifa 2026 World Cup

For local hospitality businesses the 2026 World Cup should not be treated as “just a few football matches”.

It is a six-week opportunity to drive bookings, attract new customers, and turn one-off matchday visitors into repeat customers.

The tournament runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026, and UK Hospitality describes it as a major opportunity for hospitality businesses to attract customers who want to watch live football in a strong venue atmosphere.

At Empowered Digital, we help values-led local businesses find revenue gaps and scale through performance marketing, local SEO and digital strategy. Our approach is simple: Values-led, Sentiment Obsessed, Revenue focused. 

For the World Cup, that means asking one practical question:

How can your business turn local football demand into booked tables, increased spend, stronger reviews and future repeat revenue?

1. Start With a Fixture-Led Revenue Plan

The biggest mistake local businesses can make is promoting the World Cup as one generic event.

Instead, build your plan around match demand.

Create a fixture calendar and split games into three categories:

Match Type	Examples	Business Focus
High-demand matches	England, Scotland, knockout games, final	Pre-booked tables, deposits, extra staff, security, set menus
Community-led matches	Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Portugal	Cultural food nights, local creators, community groups
Low-demand but useful matches	Midweek neutral games	Quieter offers, lunch deals, after-work screenings, content capture

This helps you avoid overstaffing quiet games and underpreparing for the matches most likely to drive demand.

For hospitality, the commercial opportunity is not only “more people in the venue”. It is:

Revenue Area	What to Plan
Bookings	Reserved tables, ticketed entry, deposits
Spend per head	Food bundles, drinks packages, sharing platters
Repeat visits	Loyalty cards, email/SMS sign-ups
Reviews	Post-match review prompts
Content	Reels, TikToks, Google posts, local PR

2. Create Bookable Matchday Packages

Do not just say: “We’re showing the World Cup.”

That gives customers no reason to choose you over another venue.

Instead, package the experience.

Business Type	Practical World Cup Offer
Sports bar	“Big screen booth package for 4–6 people”
Restaurant	“World Cup menu inspired by the teams playing”
Café	“Next-day recovery breakfast after late games”
Hotel bar	“Stay, screen and breakfast package”
Food hall	“World Cup food passport across vendors”
Event venue	“Private hire screening for teams and companies”

The offer should be easy to understand, easy to book and easy to promote.

A strong package has four parts:

Package Element	Example
Clear audience	England fans, families, after-work groups, students
Clear value	Guaranteed seat, food included, atmosphere
Clear urgency	Limited tables, deposit required
Clear next step	Book online, call, DM, WhatsApp

3. Check Licensing, Trading Hours and Safety Early

For bars and licensed venues, the World Cup is also an operational planning exercise.

The Institute of Licensing says businesses should engage early with police and local licensing authorities, check licence conditions and submit Temporary Event Notices where required.

The Licensing Act 2003 World Cup Licensing Hours Order 2026 confirms extended opening hours for licensed premises in England and Wales during specified knockout-stage matches, but only when England or Scotland are playing. It does not apply to group-stage fixtures and does not extend permissions for regulated entertainment or late-night refreshment beyond what the premises already has.

So the practical message is:

Do not assume you can simply stay open later because it is the World Cup.

Check:

Area	Question to Ask
Alcohol licence	Are we licensed to serve during this match time?
Late-night refreshment	Can we legally serve hot food after 11pm?
Outdoor screens	Are outdoor areas covered by our licence?
Entertainment	Are amplified sound, DJs or live hosts permitted?
TENs	Do we need a Temporary Event Notice?
Security	Do we need door staff or extra crowd control?
Neighbours	Could late noise create complaints?

This is not legal advice. Local businesses should speak to their local authority, licensing officer or a qualified licensing adviser before making late-opening plans.

4. Make Google Your Main Matchday Sales Channel

Most customers will not search for your brand first.

They will search based on intent:

Search Intent	Example Search
Local screening	“bars showing World Cup near me”
City-specific	“World Cup screenings Manchester”
Team-specific	“where to watch England game in Salford”
Experience-specific	“family friendly World Cup restaurant”
Booking-specific	“book table for World Cup final”

This is where local SEO matters.

Before the tournament starts, every hospitality business should update:

Channel	What to Add
Google Business Profile	World Cup posts, fixtures, booking link, updated hours
Website	Dedicated World Cup 2026 landing page
Instagram bio	“World Cup bookings now open”
Menu page	Matchday food and drink packages
Booking platform	World Cup-specific table types
Email list	Priority booking announcements
WhatsApp/DMs	Fast replies for table enquiries

Your Google Business Profile should not only say you are open. It should tell people:

Which games you are showing, whether they need to book, what packages are available and what the atmosphere will be like.

5. Build Community-Led Match Nights

The strongest local businesses will not just show football. They will create local moments.

The World Cup includes countries with large supporter communities across UK cities, especially in places like Manchester, Salford, Birmingham, London, Leeds and Liverpool.

That creates a chance to build campaigns around culture, food, music and community pride.

Match Theme	Campaign Idea
England games	“Your local England home”
Ghana/Nigeria/Morocco games	Afrobeat playlist, food collab, local creator host
Brazil/Argentina/Mexico games	Street food, cocktails, Latin music
Family-friendly games	Early kick-off family tables
Knockout games	Ticketed watch parties with deposits
Final	Premium table packages and review campaign

The aim is not to force every venue to become a “football bar”.

The aim is to find the version of the World Cup that fits your business.

A restaurant might focus on themed menus. A café might focus on recovery breakfasts.A hotel might focus on stay packages.A barbershop might run football prediction content.A local gym might run “train before the game” challenges.A retail store might run country-colour outfit edits.

The opportunity is bigger than hospitality, but hospitality has the clearest matchday revenue window.

6. Capture Content Before, During and After Every Game

Many local businesses will make the mistake of only posting the fixture poster.

That is not enough.

You need content that shows why your venue is the place to be.

Use this simple matchday content plan:

Moment	Content to Capture
Morning	Fixture reminder, booking availability
2–3 hours before kick-off	Food prep, staff prep, table setup
Kick-off	Screens, atmosphere, first drinks
During game	Crowd reactions, near misses, celebrations
Half-time	Food bundles, polls, score predictions
Full-time	Reactions, final score, customer moments
Next day	“Best moments from last night” recap

Turn one match into multiple pieces of content:

Content Format	Example
Instagram Reel	“Manchester reacted to England’s late winner”
TikTok	“POV: You booked the best table for the World Cup”
Google Post	“Tables available for Friday’s game”
Email	“Book early for the next knockout game”
Website update	Add photos and FAQs to the World Cup page
Review prompt	“Enjoyed the match? Leave us a quick review”

This is how you turn atmosphere into marketing.

7. Use Reviews as a Revenue Tool

At Empowered Digital, we are sentiment obsessed because reviews are one of the clearest signals of trust.

During the World Cup, many people may visit your venue for the first time. That creates a review opportunity.

Build a simple review system:

Step	Action
Before the match	Train staff to identify happy customers
During the match	Create moments worth remembering
After payment	Add a QR code to review cards or receipts
Next morning	Email/SMS customers who booked
Weekly	Share the best reviews on social and Google posts

Ask review questions that lead to useful feedback:

Question	Why It Helps
“How was the atmosphere?”	Helps promote future screenings
“Was booking easy?”	Shows conversion friction
“Would you come back for another match?”	Measures repeat intent
“What could we improve before the next game?”	Gives operational insight

The best venues will not just collect reviews after the tournament. They will use feedback weekly to improve the next matchday.

8. Turn World Cup Visitors Into Repeat Customers

The World Cup will bring short-term attention. The real win is what happens after.

Every booking, table, ticket or competition should help you build a customer list.

Use:

Capture Method	Example
Booking forms	Collect email and phone number
Prediction cards	“Predict the score to win a table”
QR codes	Sign up for priority knockout bookings
Loyalty cards	“Watch 3 games, get a free starter”
Post-match email	“Thanks for joining us — book the next game”
Final campaign	“World Cup regulars get first access to summer offers”

After the tournament, segment customers into:

Segment	Follow-Up Offer
Football fans	Premier League, Champions League, Euros, AFCON
Families	Sunday lunch, early evening offers
Groups	Birthday bookings, private hire
Corporate guests	Work socials, Christmas parties
Food-focused visitors	New menu launch or tasting night

This is where a six-week event becomes a six-month revenue opportunity.

9. Create a Simple 7-Day Sprint

With the tournament starting on 11 June, local businesses should move quickly.

Day	Action
Day 1	Create your fixture calendar and mark high-demand games
Day 2	Check licence, opening hours, screen setup and staffing
Day 3	Build your World Cup offer: tables, packages, menus
Day 4	Update Google Business Profile, website and booking links
Day 5	Create social content templates for the first 10 games
Day 6	Brief staff on service, safety, reviews and upsells
Day 7	Launch bookings with clear urgency

The goal is not to create a perfect campaign.

The goal is to make it easy for local customers to find you, trust you, book with you and come back.

Final Takeaway

The local businesses that win during the 2026 World Cup will not be the ones who simply put a screen up.

They will be the ones who prepare their:

visibility, offer, operations, content, reviews and retention.

For hospitality businesses, the message should be clear:

“We are your local World Cup home, with bookable tables, matchday food, big-screen atmosphere and community-led watch parties from 11 June to 19 July.”

That is how local businesses turn the World Cup from a short-term event into long-term revenue.