Walmart is using the FIFA World Cup to turn its stores into destinations for international visitors, expanding its retail strategy beyond football merchandise and match-day shopping.
The US retailer has introduced guided store tours for overseas football fans travelling to the tournament, responding to growing interest from visitors who see Walmart as a uniquely American shopping experience.
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Alongside the tours, the company is promoting football merchandise, watch-party essentials and community events to capture consumer spending during one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
The initiative highlights how the FIFA World Cup is creating new opportunities for sports retail, with major retailers using the tournament to attract shoppers, drive store traffic and strengthen customer engagement.
World Cup fuels sports retail
The FIFA World Cup is expected to generate strong consumer spending on televisions, food, drinks, football merchandise and party supplies as millions of fans gather to watch matches with friends and family.
To benefit from this demand, Walmart has launched a nationwide World Cup campaign featuring football-themed products, same-day delivery and in-store experiences. The retailer is encouraging customers to prepare for watch parties while making last-minute purchases through its delivery services.
The company is also hosting more than 200 football-related events across the United States, including fan festivals, supplier activations and family activities. Interactive experiences will visit stores in major cities, giving supporters more ways to engage with the tournament beyond shopping.
Walmart said it wants to help fans “host, celebrate, and enjoy the game”, reflecting the growing role of retailers in major sporting events.
Stores become tourist attractions
The retailer has also identified an unexpected trend during the FIFA World Cup: international visitors are adding Walmart stores to their travel plans.
In response, the company has introduced guided tours at selected locations, offering visitors an inside look at American retail. Guests receive a souvenir passport before exploring departments that showcase the scale of US supermarkets, from grocery aisles and seasonal displays to large-format products that are often unfamiliar to overseas shoppers.
The tours finish at football watch parties held outside participating stores, combining shopping with live entertainment and fan activities.
The programme follows the popularity of social media videos showing tourists visiting Walmart simply to experience American retail culture. By formalising the experience, the retailer is turning curiosity into another way to connect with customers.
The initiative demonstrates how global sporting events can create new opportunities for experiential retail, where the visit itself becomes part of the attraction.
Retailers target World Cup consumer spending
Walmart’s strategy reflects a wider trend across the retail industry as businesses seek to benefit from increased consumer spending during the FIFA World Cup.
Retailers are expanding beyond traditional promotions by combining football merchandise, digital shopping, physical stores and live events into a single customer experience. The aim is not only to increase short-term sales but also to build stronger relationships with shoppers.
Alongside its retail activities, Walmart is supporting youth football programmes and community events through partnerships with organisations including Major League Soccer, LALIGA, Soccer Forward and Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
The company said it wants to bring “the excitement of the game closer to communities”, showing how major sporting events are becoming platforms for retailers to engage with customers both inside and outside the store.
As international visitors continue to arrive for the FIFA World Cup, Walmart is demonstrating that sports retail now extends beyond selling football merchandise.
By combining shopping, tourism and live experiences, the retailer is creating new ways to attract customers while turning its stores into destinations in their own right.
