Nearly two weeks into the 2026 World Cup, restaurants, bars, seafood suppliers, industry organizations, and many other businesses are benefiting from the influx of travelers into the U.S., as well as Americans celebrating the event taking place in their home country.
Bob Donegan, the president of U.S. restaurant chain Ivar’s, which operates around 60 seafood-focused restaurants and bars, said his firm, along with the Seattle Sports Commission and other groups, met with soccer federation FIFA 15 years ago to petition for Seattle to be one of the host cities for the World Cup.
That work has paid off, he told SeafoodSource, with six matches taking place in Seattle throughout the tournament, which runs through 19 July.
“This is going to be the biggest event to ever happen in Seattle,” Donegan said prior to the tournament kicking off. “To see it coming together … is rewarding.”
Illustrating his point, Donegan said the tournament’s first match between Mexico and South Africa on 11 June drew a crowd of more than 1,000 at a fish barge on Pier 62 refurbished for World Cup watch parties, along with 700 additional visitors turned away due to fire code limits.
In addition to watch parties hosted at several of Ivar’s restaurants and bars, Ivar’s Acres of Clams full-service restaurant will be serving a special three-course menu for USD 50 (EUR 44) per person from the opening match of the tournament through the final.
Donegan said it was not too challenging to prepare enough food for the tournament, as Ivar’s operates food stands at several nearby stadiums, which has given the chain valuable experience in event-based planning.
“We know there is going to be a walkup of 500 people on a daily basis for Mariners’ games, for example,” he said, adding that summer tourism from cruise ships and other visitors to the Pacific Northwest city is also high on an annual basis.
A primary factor in Ivar’s success during such events is the longtime relationships it has with its seafood suppliers, Ivar’s Director of Innovation Patrick Yearout said.
“We have been working with the same people for a long time. If we have any sort of issue, we can get right on the phone with the person we need to speak with and get the assistance we need,” he said, pointing to such suppliers as Alaskan Leader Seafoods, based in Linden, Washington, which has been its cod supplier for more than 15 years.
Besides restaurants, other organizations are also capitalizing on World Cup excitement to market premium seafood.
Seafood from Norway, which is the promotional brand managed by the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), is sponsoring several events in New York City, as well as the state of North Carolina, which served as the base camp for Norway’s national team during its pre-tournament training.
In one such endeavor, chefs for Norway’s national football team utilized 600 pounds of Norwegian seafood brought over to the U.S. to ensure the squad, including Erling Haaland, who has partnered on seafood marketing campaigns for Norwegian seafood in the past, consume “high-quality, nutritious food to ensure peak performance,” Seafood from Norway said.
The national team’s menu is designed to support performance and recovery while incorporating familiar Norwegian flavors, the organization added.
“For the players, food is an important part of both preparation and recovery,” Aron Espeland, the chef at the national team’s base camp, said. “Bringing Norwegian ingredients with us allows us to create meals that support performance while also giving the team familiar flavors from home. Norwegian salmon and other red fish will play a central role in the menu as we prepare balanced meals for the players throughout the tournament.”
The group’s campaign also includes digital placements featuring Haaland in Times Square, a collaboration and watch party at the Norway-inspired bar Kabin in Manhattan, and presence at a community youth soccer camp in Brooklyn, focused on making the sport more accessible for locals.
“Soccer has a way of turning restaurants into gathering places, neighborhoods into fan communities, and meals into shared experiences. Whether experienced in a restaurant, on a soccer field, or beneath the lights of Times Square, we hope these moments reflect the values Seafood from Norway is known for: quality, connection, and a healthy lifestyle,” NSC Director for the U.S. Karine Rød Haraldsson said.
