The brands winning with World Cup advertising may not be the sponsors

General view of the exterior of San Francisco Bay Area Stadium ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B match between Qatar and Switzerland on June 13, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. Fran Santiago | Getty Images As people around the world tune into this summer's World Cup , some of the brands generating the most buzz aren't even official sponsors of the tournament. The list of official sponsors for this year's World Cup, hosted in cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, include global household names like Adidas , Coca-Cola and Qatar Airways. But even before the tournament began, the spotlight fell on companies like Levi Strauss & Co. , Taco Bell and Texas-based convenience store chain Buc-ee's . Some have garnered traction on social media for their creative marketing strategies, while others have benefited from organic customer response with the influx of international players and fans. McDonald's celebrated the tournament with limited-time menu items and cups. Taco Bell leaned into a new campaign to support fans in celebration or support depending on the outcome of a match. According to marketing research firm WARC Media , advertising spending on this year's World Cup tournament is expected to reach $10.5 billion. That's just below spending for the 2018 World Cup, hosted by Russia, which totaled roughly $12.6 billion. Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower told CNBC that World Cup advertising spend increased 42% week over week in the days leading up to the first game. …