McDonald’s FIFA World Cup campaign includes a meal, cup collection and a lot of athletes
The fast-food giant revealed its global marketing strategy around the event, which will feature a heavy dose of Grimace along with Squishmallows.
June 2, 2026
The apparent captain of McDonald’s World Cup team is Grimace.
The fast-food giant on Tuesday revealed its marketing strategy for the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament, to be held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
As part of the campaign, McDonald’s will offer both an adult meal and a Happy Meal across the globe. The adult meal in the U.S. will come with one of nine collectible cups featuring global soccer stars, including David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho Gaucho, Son Heung-Min and Lamine Yamal.
Select markets will have their own cups featuring their own stars, including the U.S., whose cup will feature Christian Pulisic, Canada, featuring Alphonso Davies, and Mexico, featuring Santiago Jimenez. U.S. restaurants will have access to all nine cups.
Each cup will feature Grimace as well as special nods to the athletes’ careers and fandom, including real orders and real stories. “For me it was a treat,” the French star Thierry Henry said of McDonald’s during a global media event Monday. He said his parents wouldn’t typically allow him to visit the chain’s restaurants growing up.
“It reminded me straight away of how many times we had to go to McDonald’s and make sure nobody saw us eating there. You could get in trouble because my mom would have been like, ‘What do you mean you’re eating there? So you won’t be eating at home?’”
The FIFA World Cup Meal will roll out across 100-plus global markets starting on June 4 and globally by June 9.
Customers’ getting the meal can have a Big Mac or a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets. It will also include a cup of Big Mac Sauce with World Cup-inspired packaging. The meals come with fries and a drink.
In the U.S., where McDonald’s is pushing to increase breakfast sales, there is a breakfast meal featuring a Sausage McMuffin with Egg or Sausage Biscuit with Egg and Hash Browns.
Some markets will also sell a Golden McFlurry add-on, vanilla soft serve swirled with caramel sauce and toasted coconut.
There is also a World Cup Happy Meal featuring Squishmallows. There are 23 Squishmallows wearing tournament-inspired jerseys. Each Squishmallow will come with a scannable code good for a digital game on happymeal.com.
McDonald’s is also promising customers exclusive in-person and digital experiences, community events, interactive moments and other benefits. The company said it will feature exclusive offers, tournament rewards and bonus points to customers who order on the McDonald’s app.
Select McDonald’s crew members from around the world will also be given the opportunity to experience the World Cup at host city matches or playing on an official World Cup pitch.
“Every piece of this campaign is designed with purpose,” Morgan Flatley, McDonald’s chief marketing officer, said to members of the media on Monday. “So that when the world comes together for football, everyone can feel like they’re part of it.”
About the Author
Jonathan Maze
Editor in Chief, Restaurant Business
Restaurant Business Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze is a longtime industry journalist who writes about restaurant finance, mergers and acquisitions and the economy, with a particular focus on quick-service restaurants. He writes daily about the factors influencing the operating environment, including labor and food costs and various industry trends such as technology and delivery.
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