The World Cup is set to lift demand for digital out-of-home spending

There’s also room in the plan for digital out-of-home in stadiums, at the airports of the tournament’s 16 host cities, and along routes to hospitality zones and fan experiences, said Gilpin.

“Out-of-home is having a bit of a renaissance in the quality of what you can display in those units, but also with data and technology,” he explained. “We’re leaning into that quite a bit in a few of the cities.”

Hyundai and its fellow FIFA partners like Coca-Cola and Unilever will be joined on billboards and digital-out-of-home (DOOH) by brands priced out of linear and streaming coverage of the tournament. The channel is a “generally more affordable” option for advertisers without the deep pockets of FIFA official sponsors, said eMarketer analyst Ross Benes.

“Sports and digital out of home go hand in hand, and it is no surprise that demand for digital inventory at, near, and on the way to and from World Cup [venues] is high,” said Barry Frey, president and CEO of the Digital Out of Home Association.

EMarketer forecasts place overall brand spending on U.S. OOH at $11.28 billion, 42.3% of which will be spent on digital inventory. The World Cup is a spur to investment, with this year’s estimate a 6.2% increase over 2025; growth in 2027 is expected to slow to 4.4%.

“It’s going to be the main revenue driver in this quarter,” said Anna Bager, CEO and president of the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA).

Similarly, 68% of U.K. planners and buyers increased their OOH spending in the last year and 61% say they’ll spend more this year, according to a survey of 128 marketers and agency execs conducted by adtech firm Azerion.

Pearl Media, for example, is set to work with “several” FIFA partners as well as regular advertisers through the tournament’s duration, according to Anthony Petrillo, chief revenue officer of the OOH media firm.

“There’s going to be way more foot traffic, way more activity, way more tourism. The restaurants are going to be full. The nightlife venue is going to be packed,” said Petrillo. “And [OOH]  can be culturally and geographically very relevant.”

Petrillo said OOH offered advertisers a chance to be part of a host city’s “wallpaper” during the Cup. Some of the channel’s largest operators are leaning into that opportunity.

Publisher Footballco, for example, has partnered with Clear Channel and Outfront to run World Cup-related headlines and live scorelines on DOOH inventory across the U.S; a Clear Channel spokesperson declined to discuss demand.

Two months out from the group stages, buyers and brands are still finalising commitments. Petrillo estimated that 25% of the company’s inventory in sites relevant for World Cup audiences remained.

Gabby Stoller, chief revenue officer of Big Happy – a DOOH and mobile display network – agreed that some clients were still firming up investment plans. The company was due to run 20 different campaigns during the World Cup, she said, including some involving 3D out-of-home creative. Clients, she said, “need eye-catching creative” in order to stand out during the “cluttered”  time-frame of the tournament.

Marketers still considering their options might want to make up their minds soon.

Kevin Bartanian, founder and CEO of OOH media firm Kevani, said 95% of the inventory it held adjacent to fan zones or stadium approaches in Los Angeles, which is one of the tournament’s host cities, was already spoken for. The company’s inventory included spots near the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, L.A. Galaxy’s Carson training facility (set to be used as a FIFA venue), as well as sites close to fanzones and popular hotels in L.A.

“It’s a big moment for us,” said Bartanian.

Outfront is already set to run over 70 campaigns through the tournament, according to CMO Stacy Minero. “We have really strong sell-through,” she said. Minero declined to name the clients running campaigns, citing NDAs.

Petrillo said he’d be “surprised” if Pearl’s portfolio didn’t sell out by the time the tournament kicked off. “We are pacing way beyond, in a normal year, what those months would look like,” he said.

Whether OOH providers are able to convince brands to keep spending on digital boards and screens after the whistle blows is another matter, of course.

Faced with a receptive audience of buyers keen to insert their clients into the World Cup moment (and less than eager about high streaming CPMs), OOH operators are keen to hammer home the idea that their inventory can be more impactful than social.

Last week, Bauer Media Outdoor UK, Global, JCDecaux, Ocean Outdoor and Posterscope published a study suggesting social media users paid less attention to apps and platforms when they were on the move than when they were at home – the implication being that advertisers hoping to capture their attention should use DOOH instead. 

For Bager, the World Cup is a chance to prove to U.S. advertisers that OOH can earn its place on the media plan ahead of a potentially even bigger sporting moment – the 2028 Summer Olympics, due to be held in LA.

“It’s a big one for us… and a big precursor to the Olympics,” she said.