With the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup underway, chicken franchise chains are ramping up marketing with early openings and large-scale discounts. Despite weekday morning kickoffs, they enjoyed an unexpected windfall in the first and second group-stage matches and are moving to strengthen related strategies. Some in the industry, however, warn that if competition overheats as discount battles and marketing expense grow, the burden of losses could increase.
According to the chicken franchise industry on the 24th, BBQ has moved up its in-app order start time to 8 a.m. on days when the Korea national team plays. It is also running "Black Friday Day" discounts and an "open-run" event. bhc opened early at company-run stores before kickoff, while Kyochon Chicken and Goobne Chicken also moved to attract customers with in-app discounts and stamp accrual events.
The reason the industry is pursuing such aggressive marketing is that the sales bump has been confirmed in practice. According to Genesis BBQ Group, which operates BBQ, as of 1 p.m. on the 19th, when Korea and Mexico played their second group-stage match, sales at major stores were about 4.5 times higher than the same time a week earlier. Earlier, on the 12th against the Czech Republic, the share of stores opening early was about 50%, which expanded to 70% for the Mexico match. On the day of the Czech match, sales at BBQ and bhc from morning until 1 p.m. were more than four times higher than the same time a week earlier.
Initially, the prevailing view in the industry was that with Korea's matches held on weekday mornings and midday, it would be hard to expect late-night snack demand as in past World Cups. In reality, however, office group watch parties, working from home, use of annual leave, and post-match lunchtime spending overlapped, which appears to have driven chicken demand higher than expected.
◇ Rising expectations ahead of the final group-stage match against South Africa
The final group-stage match against South Africa, set for 10 a.m. on Thursday the 25th, is expected to draw greater attention as it will determine advancement to the round of 32 knockout stage. If the national team reaches the knockout stage, the cheering fervor is expected to intensify, with a strong chance that chicken demand will also expand. Accordingly, the chicken industry is expected to continue early openings, discount events, and in-app promotions to seize the World Cup bump.
A chicken franchise official said, "While there is an element of running promotions for sales, there is also significant meaning in energizing the cheering culture and creating a buying mood for a nationwide sports event," adding, "It's hard to assess the effect based solely on a single day's sales."
There are concerns, however, that if competition grows fiercer, the burden of marketing expense could increase. A chicken industry official said, "If the Korea national team advances to the knockout stage, cheering demand is expected to grow further," adding, "We will continue various promotions to avoid missing the boon, but the fiercer the competition gets, the more we will have to consider marketing expense alongside revenue management."
On the other hand, a chicken franchise official said, "The events currently underway largely combine existing promotions with the World Cup season, so we don't see them as an excessive burden," adding, "As additional demand emerges, they are helping franchisees, and the headquarters is actively supporting them as well."