McDonald’s is ending its global FIFA World Cup sponsorship after more than three decades, bringing a long-running partnership with football’s biggest international tournament to a close as the fast-food company reassesses how it invests in marketing. The decision follows its largest-ever World Cup campaign in 2026, which generated global visibility but fell short of the company’s commercial expectations.
The McDonald’s FIFA World Cup sponsorship began in 1994 and gave the restaurant chain a recurring presence around one of the world’s most widely watched sporting events. The company confirmed to Nation’s Restaurant News that its global sponsorship would end when its current agreement concludes following the 2026 men’s tournament. McDonald’s and FIFA had renewed their partnership in 2023, covering both the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and the 2026 men’s competition. The agreement included official restaurant sponsorship and naming rights for the Fair Play Trophy.
The exit comes after an extensive marketing push around the 2026 tournament. The campaign ran across more than 110 markets and included football-themed meals, Happy Meals, collectible cups featuring international football stars and digital experiences designed to bring fans into the brand’s ecosystem. McDonald’s had described the effort as its largest marketing initiative of the year.
However, the campaign’s reach did not translate into the results the company had anticipated. During McDonald’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Ian Borden said the World Cup campaign had “provided a lift to the business and generated excellent system excitement,” but had “underperformed versus our expectations.” In the United States, comparable sales grew by 0.8% during the quarter, reflecting the challenges facing the chain as it worked to attract customers amid a competitive value-focused market.
