Run of the Show: Merch as Memory

The FIFA fan festival had a problem soon after opening: the lines stretched out for too long and lasted for many hours, sometimes under scorching, record-breaking heat. No, they weren’t lines to get into the venue. They were lines to nab one of Bank of America’s customizable World Cup charm bracelets.

The 2026 celebration of the world’s most popular game is the largest one to date, and the smartest brands know it’s the rarest opportunity they can’t pass up. But, as we discussed, just being seen won’t accomplish much this summer. In a season saturated with big moments, the brands that will be remembered longest are the ones that give fans something to remember them by.

The Power of Merch

The match ends, the watch parties clear out, the stages come down, and the players fly back to their home countries. Most of what’s happening this summer will live entirely in a camera roll that attendees will barely scroll back to in six months.

Merch is different. The pin, the bracelet, the limited jersey, or a blind capsule with a Messi figure inside: these objects don't age out. They sit on a desk or a shelf and quietly advertise the brand, the moment, and the feeling every time someone asks about them.

This summer, with the eyes of the world already on every fan park and activation space in the country, good merchandise is part of what will separate the brands people remember from the ones they walked past.

Numbers & the Story They’re Hiding

The global sports memorabilia market was valued at $51.2 billion in 2026. The global Licensed Sports Merchandise Market is projected to grow from $40.5 billion in 2026 to $64.6 billion by 2036. But these stats don’t tell the whole story. The large size of the market doesn't explain why a free charm bracelet at a fan festival generates a four-hour line and a secondary market on eBay while a $40 official tournament t-shirt sits on a rack until the knockout rounds.

The object isn't the real selling point. It’s a feeling that’s attached to it.

What Makes Great Merch?

There are a few characteristics that separate forgettable merch from in-demand objects people are willing to queue for hours for. How much money the brand spends on developing them isn’t on the list.

1. Scarcity

When something is available in limited quantities, people instinctively place a higher value on it. Neurological research shows that scarcity heightens activity in the brain's reward centers in a way that mirrors winning a prize. That’s why a "limited drop" elicits a whole other reaction than a standard retail release. By limiting access or quantity, brands amplify desire and influence decisions beyond rationality.

2. Timing

A drop tied to a live moment hits differently. When merch can only be acquired inside the experience — during the match, in the park, at the activation — the object becomes inseparable from the memory of being there. You know that you didn't buy it online or find it at a thrift store afterward; you were actually there. Anticipation, participation, and post-drop discussion all separate a one-time event from something people talk about afterward.

3. Earned quality

A fan waits four hours for a bracelet, navigates a wristband system, returns at their assigned time window, and finally gets it. That’s not as simple as swiping a credit card and walking away with something. The fan has a memorable story now and that story is attached not just to the object they received but to the brand that created the conditions for it. Owning an exclusive item makes fans feel part of a select community in a way that a standard purchase never does. The exclusivity here comes from participation, not the price.

For Example:

Before there was an official opening ceremony, before bars put up additional screens in anticipation of dedicated fans and watch parties were scheduled across the world, Solomon Group and FIFA went on the Trophy Tour across 20 cities of the three host countries to tease the upcoming tournament. On top of showcasing the real World Cup trophy, we designed and produced a “FIFA Fan Mart,” where attendees could sign up to join FIFA’s online community in exchange for exclusive merchandise. Tens of thousands of people stretched out in long lines to register and receive their commemorative souvenirs.

And we weren’t the only company utilizing the influence of merchandise. Adidas' Bringback collection revived celebrated silhouettes and graphics from World Cup history for fans who never owned the originals. Coca-Cola and Panini hid over one billion stickers under the 20-oz Coke bottle labels in North America. Each one revealed a player that fans could add to a digital sticker album through the Panini app. LEGO brought an interactive element to the celebration by providing building stations with soccer-themed figurines.

What Merch Actually Measures

Merchandise matters even beyond the fandom that comes with it. Sell-through rate, resale value (which is a direct market signal that demand outpaced supply), wait times, secondary market prices, and social content generated around the drop: These are numbers that convert the emotional argument into a financial one.

Nearly a quarter of affluent fans aged 25 to 34 — the demographic every World Cup sponsor is trying to reach — identify exclusivity as the most important factor in their decision to buy merchandise.

From a production standpoint, the merch strategy is where the team's decisions show up directly in outcomes. What time does the drop happen? Where is the booth positioned relative to the main screen? Is there a line management system designed in advance, or does demand overwhelm the layout on day one? Getting these decisions right turns a free bracelet into the most talked-about thing at the venue. The object itself can be simple. But the strategy behind it should be anything but.

Conclusion

Every event eventually ends, making a moment that felt impossible to miss just a memory. Over time, that memory is competing with every other memory from the season. But the merch goes home with the fan. It sits on a shelf, gets photographed and posted, and gets asked about by a guest who wasn't there. It's the only part of an activation that keeps working after the lights go down. The thing that keeps the feelings alive, long after the moments passed, with a simple glance in its direction. The brands that deliver this the best are those that design their drop the same way they design their stage: intentionally, meticulously, and with the moment in mind.

That's where the leverage is. If you're wondering what your brand's version of it could look like, we'd love to talk.