For a few weeks, the world is speaking the same language: soccer.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is already historic. It is the first tournament hosted across three countries, Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and the first to feature 48 teams competing across 16 host cities. That means more matches, more nations, more storylines, and more ways for fans to get involved.
The lesson for brands is not just that the World Cup creates massive attention. It is that the attention does not begin and end with each match.
Fans are engaged before kickoff, after the final whistle, and throughout every moment in between. They track group standings. They debate lineups. They plan watch parties. They buy the jersey. They follow the player who carried their team, the underdog who almost made it, or the rival they love to hate.
For brands, the “match” is often the transaction. The purchase. The booking. The renewal. The redemption. It is the visible moment where value is exchanged. That said, emotional loyalty is rarely built in that single moment. It is built in the anticipation before it, the recognition during it, and the continued engagement after it.
The best loyalty strategies create reasons to stay connected in between transactions.
The World Cup doesn’t just attract fans. It activates a level of loyalty brands rarely see. Kobie’s research shows that extreme loyalists will spend 20–50% more, go out of their way to engage, and even pay a premium for what they love. The World Cup puts that intensity on a global stage, proving that extreme loyalty is built in the rituals, anticipation, identity, and engagement that happen in between.
Anticipation is part of the experience
Excitement around the World Cup builds long before a team steps onto the field. There are schedules to study, groups to analyze, players to watch, and predictions to make. By the time the match starts, fans are already emotionally invested.
There’s a lesson in there for brands. If your loyalty program is solely focused on what happens after a customer spends, it’s important to understand that anticipation can be just as powerful as reward.
A travel brand might build excitement before a trip with personalized destination content. A retailer might use style preferences to preview relevant drops. A restaurant might create limited-time specials before a seasonal launch. The point is to intentionally fill the gaps in between transactions, making the customer feel like the experience has already begun.
Identity makes participation easier
One reason the World Cup succeeds at drawing so many viewers in, is that it gives people an easy way in. You can root for your country, your parents’ country, a favorite player, an underdog, or simply the team your friends are watching. The emotional entry points are everywhere.
Loyalty programs should think the same way.
Not every customer wants to engage for the same reason. Some are motivated by status. Some want value. Some want access. Some want convenience. Some want to feel known. A strong loyalty strategy does not flatten those differences. It uses them.
This is where high-fidelity loyalty data matters. The more a brand understands what customers willingly share, how they behave, and what they value, the better it can move beyond broad segmentation into experiences that feel personal, timely, and relevant.
The in-between is where brands earn the next moment
The World Cup final may be the biggest stage, but the tournament would not have the same pull without everything surrounding it: the group drama, the fan rituals, the shared disappointments, the surprise wins, the conversations that carry from one match to the next.
That same principle applies to loyalty. A customer’s next purchase is shaped by what happens between purchases. Were they recognized? Was the offer relevant? Did the brand make their life easier? Did the experience reflect what they had already shared?
At Kobie, this is why we think about loyalty as an ongoing value exchange, not a static program structure. Tools like Panoramic Customer Profiles™ and KLICs™ can help brands understand the signals customers are giving them and respond in ways that build momentum over time.
The World Cup reminds us that loyalty is bigger than a single moment of performance. It is identity, anticipation, emotion, community, and memory. Don’t wait for the next “match” to engage your customers! Build moments in between with the same intention and care as the moments that convert, with an ongoing goal of earning your next customer interaction.
Get inspired at www.kobie.com.
