2026 World Cup Vendor Playbook

Primary timing rule

For stadium-adjacent selling, plan arrival 4 hours before local kickoff; strongest traffic is usually 3–1 hours before kickoff and again immediately after the match.

Legal / operations note

Do not sell in restricted stadium security zones or use FIFA/World Cup trademarks without authorization. Prioritize licensed pop-ups, private parking lots with permission, sports bars, hotels, transit-adjacent fan routes, and official fan-zone vendor opportunities.

Best product bundles

1) Country scarf + face stickers; 2) Wig + face stickers; 3) Horn + scarf; 4) Neutral multi-country fan kit for knockout rounds.

Inventory approach

Carry team-color variants for confirmed teams during group stage. For knockout rounds, carry neutral colors and fast-change bundles because teams may not be known until late.

High priority markets

New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Mexico City, Vancouver, Boston, Kansas City, Houston.

Source basis

Schedule source: official FIFA match schedule PDF; cross-checked against Roadtrips schedule table and the user-provided Zhibo8 host-city allocation article.

Official FIFA schedule PDF

https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/1be9ce37eb98fcc5/original/FWC26-Match-Schedule_English.pdf

FIFA schedule article

https://inside.fifa.com/news/updated-world-cup-2026-match-schedule-now-available

Reference schedule table

https://www.roadtrips.com/world-cup/2026-world-cup-packages/schedule/

User-provided host-city reference

https://news.zhibo8.com/zuqiu/2025-12-02/692e3d525b4f1native.htm