Walmart is capitalising on its unexpected popularity among international visitors by launching exclusive in-store tours for World Cup tourists, transforming America’s largest retailer into one of the tournament’s most talked-about attractions.
The initiative follows a surge of viral social media videos showing first-time visitors from around the world marvelling at the sheer scale of Walmart stores, oversized food packages and endless snack aisles. Many of the clips have attracted millions of views on platforms such as TikTok.
To tap into the growing buzz, Walmart will host two VIP shopping experiences. The first will take place in New Jersey ahead of the World Cup final, while the second will be held in Miami after the quarterfinal match between Norway and England.
The Miami event will be open to the first 20 fans participating in a World Cup parking lot experience organised in partnership with Spain’s LaLiga football league.
Participants will receive guided tours highlighting Walmart’s signature features, including oversized products, iconic snack aisles and uniquely American merchandise. The experience will also include custom Walmart passports, collectible aisle stamps, branded souvenirs, tour guides and curated product samples.
One thing visitors will not be taking home, however, is Walmart’s famously oversized tubs of ranch dressing.
For many overseas visitors, a trip to Walmart has become an essential part of experiencing America.
Irish tourist Mick Madeiros went viral after expressing amazement at the enormous bags of Fruity Pebbles cereal, joking that they resembled dog food sacks. English visitor Harry Gunns described Walmart’s colourful chips aisle as “absolute insanity in all the best ways.”
Another viral video showed a group of Australian football fans enthusiastically chanting, “We are going to Walmart,” before heading to the store.
Spanish football sensation Lamine Yamal also generated headlines after he was spotted pushing a shopping cart out of a Walmart store in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia.
Although Walmart is not an official FIFA World Cup sponsor, the retailer is leveraging social media momentum to associate its brand with one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
Strict FIFA sponsorship rules have forced several American stadiums to temporarily remove corporate branding. MetLife Stadium has been renamed “New York/New Jersey Stadium” for the tournament, while Levi’s Stadium is operating under the temporary name “San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.”
Levi’s also embraced the restrictions by deliberately covering its stadium logo in a way that still made the iconic shape instantly recognisable. The company replicated the campaign at stores across football-loving markets including Brazil, France and Mexico.
According to Alexander Chernev, a marketing professor at Northwestern University, such tactics can actually strengthen brand recognition.
“If customers can still recognize the logo, that actually gives you more awareness than if you haven’t done anything to begin with,” he said.
Chernev added that brands are increasingly seeking creative ways to engage consumers as traditional online advertising becomes less effective amid growing digital clutter.
Walmart is also extending the campaign online, publishing videos featuring store associates introducing international audiences to products they should not miss, from giant jars of peanut butter and ranch dressing to industrial-sized containers of jalapeños.
For millions of football fans visiting the United States, Walmart has unexpectedly become more than a supermarket, it has become part of the World Cup experience.
