October 25 – McDonald’s is ending its sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup after 32 years as part of an overhaul of its marketing model, according to Adweek.
The partnership began with the 1994 World Cup in the United States. It ends months after the company ran its biggest World Cup campaign at this summer’s tournament, an effort created by Wieden+Kennedy New York that covered more than 110 countries and was McDonald’s largest marketing push of 2026.
The returns did not match the investment. On the company’s Q2 2026 earnings call, chief financial officer Ian Borden said the campaign “provided a lift to the business and generated excellent system excitement,” but “underperformed versus our expectations.” Growth in the US also slowed.
McDonald’s said the decision was “unrelated to recent headlines about the association.” It will continue to invest in sport through other channels.
The exit comes at a sensitive time for FIFA. President Gianni Infantino is facing internal challenges over governance, the Folarin Balogun red card ruling and his ties to political leaders that seem to be more important to him personally than his links to football’s leaders, and the scandal surrounding the attempted sell off of all FIFA’s commercial rights.
Losing one of its longest-standing commercial partners, even for reasons the company says are unrelated, is not a strong message to send to global brands.
For McDonald’s, the move reflects a broader question facing FIFA’s major sponsors. A World Cup gives global reach, but it is expensive and concentrated into only a few weeks every four years. Brands are increasingly weighing that against year-round deals with leagues, clubs and individual athletes that offer more consistent activation.
Contact the writer of this story at nick.webster@insideworldfootball.com