Data: World Cup ad costs up 17%
July 17, 2026



The World Cup final takes place on July 19th, closing out the most expensive advertising period in years. Data from creator marketing platform Billo shows advertisers’ price of a single video ad rose 17 per cent in June, the tournament’s first month, compared with the average from July through September 2025. There was an increase in 13 of the 15 e-commerce categories tracked. Costs typically climb as an event nears its climax, and the final will draw the largest audience for the entire event.

The analysis also showed that, unsurprisingly, the category that benefited from the World Cup the most was Sporting Goods. Their relevance helped them to achieve a 28.9 per cent hook rate, making it the highest of 15 tracked categories. Purchases tied to those ads rose 26 per cent over the 2025 monthly average, while click-through rates climbed about 31 per cent.


Billo, a marketplace connecting brands with video creators, analyzed more than 13,000 ads across 15 categories on Meta, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. Its data points to a way forward for small businesses this week and after the final: spend on relevance, not just budget.

Donatas Smailys, CEO of Billo, said rising costs and global campaigns leave small businesses with few good options.

“The World Cup creates a battle for attention that goes far beyond the matches themselves,” commented Smailys. “Big brands can run campaigns across TV, social media, sponsorships, and creators all at once. Small businesses are chasing the same customers, but they can’t respond by matching that budget.”

Billo isn’t the only one tracking rising ad costs. According to Common Thread Collective, Meta’s cost per thousand impressions, what it costs to show an ad to 1,000 people, hit a four-year high this summer, above $17, up from roughly $12 in summer 2024. WARC expects the World Cup to add $10.5 billion to global ad spending this quarter.

“When advertising gets this competitive, a business really has three choices,” Smailys added. “Spend more, reach fewer people, or find a more relevant way to get noticed. The third option is what we saw play out in Sporting Goods this June.”

Sporting Goods Beat Reach with Relevance

Relevance is exactly what saved sporting goods, the category most connected to the tournament. Billo’s data shows sporting goods ads had a hook rate of 28.9 per cent, the highest of all 15 categories tracked, meaning more viewers kept watching past the first few seconds instead of scrolling past. Purchase numbers tied to those ads rose 26 per cent compared with the category’s 2025 monthly average, and click-through rates climbed about 31 per cent.

Sporting goods advertisers also got roughly 15 per cent more revenue per dollar than the overall June average, while spending about 16 per cent less per ad than June’s average in other categories.

However the ads for this category were still more expensive than last year. Spend per ad in the category still rose, about 37 per cent above if we compare it to the sporting goods 2025 benchmark.

“Sporting goods matched what people were already watching and talking about. However, the lesson for smaller brands isn’t to bolt a football reference onto every ad,” continued Smailys. “It’s finding a real connection between the product and the moment – getting ready for a match, hosting friends, whatever people are already doing.”

The Playbook for the Final Week

Billo’s advice for before and after the final: don’t invest everything in one big ad. Build a few shorter versions with different hooks and people instead, test, and put the budget behind whichever one works. Target communities that already care about a sport or team, rather than the whole tournament audience.

“Right now, betting everything on one ad is risky,” Smailys added. “Post a few ideas organically first and let the audience tell you what’s landing – that signal is free. Give creators a clear brief and let them run with it, then put money behind the one that’s already working. And prices drop once the final’s over, so that’s your chance to make back some of what this month cost.”