When millions of fans travel across borders for a global sporting event, they aren’t just watching the competition. They’re discovering culture.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has already shown that some of the biggest brand moments happen outside the stadium. International visitors have gone viral documenting their first trips to Buc-ee's, Walmart, Waffle House, Costco, and other uniquely American retailers and restaurants. For many visitors, these weren't just pit stops. Instead, they became part of the experience itself.
That kind of organic exposure is incredibly difficult to manufacture. Yet every major global event creates it. For licensors and manufacturers, that's the start of a new licensing opportunity.
Global events create new fandoms
The World Cup wasn't just good for tourism. It introduced millions of people to brands they had never encountered before.
Some of those brands are already household names in the United States. Others, like Buc-ee's, have built enormous regional followings but relatively little awareness abroad. Yet one viral video from an international visitor can generate millions of views and suddenly put a regional brand on the global map.
This is an important reminder for IP owners: you don't have to be an official tournament sponsor to benefit from a global event.
Consumers don't separate their travel experiences into "sports" and "shopping." They remember everything. The restaurants they visited. The stores they wandered through. The snacks they brought home. The characters they discovered. The products they couldn't find anywhere else.
Awareness is only valuable if you're ready
Going viral creates awareness, licensing creates longevity.
The challenge for most IP owners isn't generating interest, but being prepared to act when that interest appears.
- Do you have manufacturing partners in the regions where demand is emerging?
- Can potential licensees discover your brand before your competitors?
- Are you ready to explore categories that weren't part of your licensing strategy six months ago?
These questions are difficult to answer once the event has already begun.
What should Los Angeles brands be doing now?
The LA28 Olympics are less than two years away. While many businesses are focused on hospitality, staffing, and preparing for an influx of visitors, IP owners should be asking a different question:
If millions of people discover our brand during the Olympics, what happens after they go home?
For many, the answer isn't opening more locations, but extending the brand through licensing.
Think about the experiences visitors will have throughout Los Angeles. They'll grab burgers at In-N-Out, stop at Randy's Donuts after landing, browse The Getty and Griffith Observatory, spend afternoons at the Santa Monica Pier, and take home memories from iconic neighborhoods across the city. These destinations are already brands in their own right. The Olympics simply put them in front of a much larger global audience.
The opportunity is to turn those first impressions into lasting consumer relationships. That could mean:
- A restaurant brand expanding into sauces, cookware, or kitchen accessories.
- A museum developing educational toys, puzzles, stationery, or home décor inspired by its collections.
- A lifestyle destination launching apparel, travel goods, or collectibles that become keepsakes of the Olympic experience.
- An entertainment or creator-led IP introducing products timed to the influx of international visitors.
The biggest mistake brands can make is waiting until the Opening Ceremony to get started on their licensing strategy.
By then, manufacturers have already planned production schedules, retailers have committed shelf space, and licensing programs are already in motion.
The Olympics may last just a few weeks. The licensing programs they inspire can generate revenue for years. The time to identify partners is now.
The right IP + The right timing + The right partners = Global Wave
With LA28 on the horizon, the time to identify the right licensing partners is now. Negosh helps licensors and manufacturers connect before the spotlight arrives, so global discovery becomes long-term growth, not a missed opportunity.
With more than 850+ licensors and thousands of licensees on the platform spanning entertainment, sports, gaming, food, lifestyle, art, and consumer brands, Negosh is the world's trusted marketplace for brands and manufacturers to connect..
The World Cup demonstrated that the next breakout brand can come from anywhere. The Olympics will create another wave of global discovery.