# How Loyalty Programs Turned World Cup Excitement into Customer Visits

*Published:* August 10, 2026
*URL:* https://www.spoonity.com/loyalty-programs-world-cup-customer-visits/

#### Real examples of seasonal loyalty campaigns that increased customer engagement, repeat visits, and app adoption during the FIFA World Cup.

This month's article explores the difference between having customer data and using it effectively. During the FIFA World Cup, many restaurants, cafés, and entertainment brands transformed their loyalty programs into real-time marketing engines.

With more than 3.6 million people attending matches and millions more watching worldwide, the opportunity wasn't simply increased attention—it was creating timely loyalty campaigns that converted excitement into visits and repeat purchases. 

#### The question wasn't whether there would be emotional traffic. The question was whether your customer loyalty program was ready to capture it.

###### Here are the approaches we saw in action across our customer base:

- **Promotions that trigger themselves.** One customer in Argentina configured a campaign where every time the match announcer mentioned one of their featured players, the platform automatically unlocked a coupon in the customer's account. The emotional moment and the loyalty reward happened at exactly the same time.

- **Points accelerators during match hours.** An entertainment venue configured a double cashback rule active one hour before each match until one hour after. Another casual dining brand offered double cashback during match hours with a minimum purchase, encouraging members to visit instead of watching from home.

- **Collectible rewards tied to the tournament.** Customers earned digital coins for every World Cup match they watched at the restaurant, redeemable for rewards. The campaign encouraged repeat visits throughout the tournament.

- **Multi-match visit challenges.** A QSR chain rewarded customers who visited during all three group-stage matches, creating a simple but highly engaging loyalty challenge.

- **Growing loyalty membership.** Another operator used the tournament to acquire new loyalty members by offering a free product to customers who downloaded the app during the World Cup.

**What these strategies shared was preparation.** None were improvised. The strongest seasonal loyalty campaigns were designed, configured, and tested weeks in advance.

**Spoonity allows brands to create, activate, and optimize seasonal loyalty campaigns** without external technical support. The real advantage is planning ahead so your loyalty program is ready before the next major event.

#### Your next seasonal event is already on the calendar. Is your loyalty program ready?

Talk to your Account Manager to plan your next seasonal loyalty campaign.