With the opening day of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup looming — it runs from the 12th to July 20 — the mood in retail and food is calmer than expected. Although Korea's national soccer team kicks off at 11 a.m. on opening day (Korea time), the large-scale marketing battles and cheering windfalls seen in past World Cups are hard to find. Convenience store chains have launched discounts on some alcoholic beverages including beer and on processed foods, but many say it is hard to feel much difference from routine promotions. Big-box retailers and restaurant franchises are in a similar mood.
Some say scheduling Korea's matches during the day has blunted the World Cup boost, but on the ground, many note that overall public interest is not what it used to be, more than the match times themselves. A retail industry official said, "At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Kim Yuna competed for gold in broad daylight and drew nationwide attention. The festive mood continued after the gold-medal event, which positively affected dining and food consumption, but it is hard to say the recently held 2026 Winter Olympics was a hit even though events were at night," adding, "Whether the games are in the day or at night is not what matters; interest itself is falling."
On the 9th, retail and food companies cited three main reasons for the missing World Cup windfall. First, people have begun to focus more on individual narratives than on contests between nations. In the past, the national team's victories tended to tie directly to national pride. Recently, though, more attention has shifted to the narratives of particular players than to the national team competitions themselves. A food industry official said, "In the past, there was a strong collectivist sentiment that Korea had to win, but now we live in a time when individual tastes and interests matter more," adding, "It has become less common for national team results to translate directly into personal pride, and there is a stronger tendency for fandoms to form around favorite athletes or sports."
Accordingly, some say it is more effective for sports marketing to focus on discovering athletes. Representative examples include KB Kookmin Bank's early sponsorship and selection of figure skater Kim Yuna, and Lotte Group's sponsorship of snowboarder Choi Gaon. A distribution company official said, "At the 2026 Winter Olympics, too, after Choi Gaon won gold, her backstory drew even more attention," adding, "Rather than simply holding commemorative events or sponsoring a national team, zeroing in on one athlete and focusing on that individual's growth process yields better marketing results."
The rise of competing content has also shrunk the culture of group viewing. Through the 2000s, the World Cup or Olympics were essentially events the entire nation watched together. Street cheering and group viewing of major matches at offices and schools formed naturally.
Now it is different. As YouTube, OTT (over-the-top media service), social media (SNS), and games have entered daily life, public attention has dispersed. A retail industry official said, "In the past, broadcast TV was effectively the only outlet, but now anyone can consume the content they want. The culture of everyone watching the same match has weakened," adding, "Young employees would likely find it odd to watch a World Cup match together in the office in the middle of the day, and there are hardly any offices that do that."
Another reason is a kind of immunity to the thrill of victory. Paradoxically, Korea's elevated standing on the international sports stage is cited as a backdrop for waning interest. In the past, a single Olympic medal or a round of 16 at the World Cup was received as historic. Lately, however, international results tend to be seen as somewhat expected.
Psychology explains this as the "hedonic adaptation" phenomenon. As people get used to repeated success, the thrill and satisfaction from the same results gradually diminish.
A retail industry official said, "In the past, the whole nation went wild over a single medal, but now expectations are higher, and similar results no longer deliver a big thrill," adding, "The effect of sports events in spurring consumption has weakened as well."
Some also say a growing skepticism in tougher daily lives is playing a role. With high inflation, housing costs, and a tough job market worsening living conditions, the psychological reward effect of sports events has diminished compared with the past. Whereas the national team's strong showings once gave the public hope and pride, there is now a spreading sense among some that "even if the nation does well, my life does not improve."
A retail industry official said, "The era when the World Cup or Olympics automatically meant more spending is over," adding, "Going forward, corporations are likely to allocate even smaller budgets to major sports events."