Lego and McDonald’s tap into collectable culture to win the 2026 Fifa World Cup

Image credit: Lego

According to Spate, the World Cup garnered a massive 17.2 billion-view increase in a single week on TikTok, where it’s all happening.

The “GOAT” Argentinian forward and captain, Lionel Messi, scored an incredible three billion increase on the social media platform.

Between what’s happening on the pitch and online, most consumers want something memorable that they keep forever as a reminder of their thrilling time during the World Cup.

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Scoring on collectables

Brands like McDonald's, which introduced collectable cups, and Lego (a rare non-food exception in the top 10 brands) with its buildable trophy, are standouts when it comes to collectables this World Cup.

Spate says that collectables are the name of the game.

“Pair scarcity with a collect-them-all hook, and a single purchase becomes a reason to keep posting,” says the trend forecaster.

Let’s go Lego

Lego saw a 7.1 million increase week-over-week (WoW) on TikTok during the week of 21 June 21 2026, mostly driven by its first-ever Fifa collaboration: the Official World Cup Trophy set, a 1:1 replica built from 2,842 pieces and the most gold-colored bricks ever used in a single LEGO set.

It works perfectly on TikTok, from using the trophy as a prop to revealing their build or even finding it in the toy aisle, consumers can easily film and share.

@lego Everyone wants a piece #HonestlyItsNotAI   #LEGO #LEGOFootball #FIFAWorldCup #EveryoneWantsAPiece ♬ original sound - LEGO

Tapping into collectable culture, this is something consumers can keep long after the real trophy is lifted.

Spate says that for non-food brands hoping to replicate Lego’s success, they have to give fans something to collect and show off rather than simply a logo on a banner.

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More than a meal

That’s what McDonald’s is doing perfectly. As an official sponsor of the World Cup, McDonald’s is championing collectability too.

The Fifa World Cup 26 Happy Meal comes with one of 23 football-jerseyed Squishmallows, including the official mascots for host countries Canada, Mexico, and the US.

The meal meant for adults, on the other hand, carries one of nine collectable cups fronted by stars including Christian Pulisic, David Beckham, and Ronaldinho.

@tritarrahtoks McDonald’s World Cup cup ⚽️��#mcdonalds #worldcup #fifa #beckham #futbol @McDonald’s ♬ original sound - Music Lover - It's Aadil

The drawcard here is not even the meal; it’s the collectable, and consumers are ravenous for it.

According to Spate, the videos on TikTok are straightforward: “your sign to go get the Fifa Squishmallows Happy Meal,” “attempting to collect all nine cups.”

So, targeting the “completionist mechanic”, who will turn one meal into a set to finish, it is honing that same blind-box energy behind last year’s must-have, the Labubu.