OPERATIONS
Feeding stadiums Because the tournament spans three countries, manufacturers are dealing with three sets of food safety laws: the FDA in the US, the CFIA in Canada and COFEPRIS in Mexico.
Normally, a pallet of beverages or stadium food is tracked using basic barcodes. For the 2026 World Cup, manufacturers are making use of smart labels, QR codes and NFCenabled packaging.
PROXIMITY PRODUCTION
PepsiCo’ s Frito-Lay is rolling out a 40 flavour global collection of crisps inspired by countries competing in the tournament. Different regions will get their own lineup, including a collection of three in the US.
Bags of crisps are filled with air to protect the product, making longhaul or cross-boarder shipping both expensive and inefficient. To supply the 16 host cities, PepsiCo has decentralised its World Cup manufacturing.
Rather than ramping up production at one central facility, the company is activating a network of regional copacking facilities and local manufacturing hubs situated within a tight radius of the host stadiums.
This localised production model helps to make sure that factory lines can pivot to high-demand products overnight and deliver them to stadiums without relying on vulnerable, long-haul freight networks.
142 June 2026