Vending

Automated retail helps drive FIFA merchandising windfall

achpf - stock.adobe.com

June 29, 2026

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The soccer governing body FIFA has dramatically expanded the retail reach of the 2026 World Cup by placing officially licensed merchandise in thousands of everyday shopping locations, according to a Sports Business Journal report, including convenience stores, pharmacies, supermarkets, airports and automated retail machines. Working with more than 100 U.S. licensees, FIFA said the initiative is its largest retail program to date.

A key element of the rollout is FIFA's partnership with automated retail company Prepango, which has deployed more than 50 custom-branded vending machines in airports, train stations, hotels, shopping centers and other high-traffic locations across the United States. The machines dispense officially licensed merchandise such as hats, drinkware and souvenirs. Prepango Executive Vice President Ian Benson said demand from both venues and consumers exceeded expectations, noting the company ran out of machines as additional locations requested installations.

FIFA also partnered with In Motion Design to distribute merchandise through major retailers including CVS, Walgreens, Dollar General, 7-Eleven, Kroger and Albertsons. The company adapted products and pricing to suit individual retail channels, creating ready-to-display cardboard merchandising units that simplified in-store deployment. In Motion estimates it has sold between 2 million and 3 million units of FIFA merchandise and said its products are now available in more than 17,500 stores across the country's four largest retail partners alone.

Industry executives said FIFA's retail strategy could reshape how sports properties approach merchandise distribution. Rather than limiting sales to stadiums and specialty stores, the organization has emphasized convenience, impulse purchases and high-traffic locations, including vending machines. With the success of the 2026 tournament rollout, FIFA has already renewed In Motion Design's retail license for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, while other sports leagues are evaluating whether similar automated retail and mass-market merchandising strategies could help expand their own fan engagement.