The Fifa World Cup final gave restaurants, bars, hotels and food delivery companies a blockbuster weekend and something they rarely see after midnight: customers.
Hospitality businesses across India extended operations where permitted and hosted live screenings as football fans watched Sunday's Argentina-Spain final.
Spain won the 2026 Fifa World Cup, defeating the defending champions Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final at MetLife Stadium (New York/New Jersey). The late-night final emerged as a significant business opportunity for the hospitality industry, particularly during hours that typically generate little or no revenue. Industry executives said demand came from both fans heading to sports bars and restaurants and consumers hosting watch parties at home.
Hours extended
In West Bengal, the state government said the Fifa World Cup final between Spain and Argentina would be screened on giant screens across all districts after issuing the necessary orders. Karnataka had issued its orders last week itself. Maharashtra also permitted restaurants and bars to remain open late for the final, joining other states that extended operating hours.
The National Restaurant Association of India (Nrai) said several licensed restaurants, cafés, pubs, bars, clubs and microbreweries stayed open during the Fifa World Cup final. The industry body said the move would boost business for restaurants and allied sectors such as transport, ride-hailing, logistics, and food suppliers, as well as local employment.
“Marquee sporting events like the Fifa final are no longer just entertainment but a big consumption occasion. Several states extended restaurant hours till 4 AM for the final. We saw a 28-30% jump in late-night sales over a normal day across dine-in and delivery,” said Sagar Daryani, founder and chief executive officer (CEO), Wow! Momo.
"The Fifa World Cup final delivered an exceptional night for us, with outlets across Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru participating in late-night screenings. We recorded nearly a 1,200% increase in post-midnight dine-in business compared with a normal night, demonstrating a strong consumer demand for live sports viewing in pubs and restaurants. Extended operating hours, combined with our campaign, created a compelling proposition for fans to come together and watch the final. Marquee sporting events are becoming significant business occasions for the hospitality industry, driving higher footfalls, longer customer dwell times and increased food and beverage consumption," said Rahul Singh, founder and chief executive of The Beer Café, which operates over 50 outlets in the country.
While the final boosted late-night consumption, hospitality players said revenues did not match those generated during the Indian Premier League (IPL) final because of football's comparatively smaller fan base in India and the late-night start.
Daryani of Wow! Momo said there were a lot of house parties and ordering during the final. He said his business was up by 10% compared with a Sunday earlier. “We expected a lot better, though,” he said.
Watch parties
Restaurants and hotels across cities hosted screenings to draw crowds.
Fairmont Mumbai organized a watch party in its ballroom, while venues including The Nook in Mumbai, Quoin at Novotel New Delhi Aerocity and several Crowne Plaza and voco hotels screened the match.
Abhinav Jindal, founder of beer brand BeeYoung and BeeYoung Brewgarden in Delhi, said the tournament generated strong demand through the month, and the final helped add 15-20% to the outlet's monthly revenue.
"Tremendous would actually be an understatement. People lined up, saying they simply had to be here to experience the match. There was massive excitement around the final. Even people who don't normally watch football wanted to be a part of it," he said.
Delivery surge
Tanveer Kwatra, co-founder of Pan-Asian delivery brand Shoyu, which operates in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi, said the company saw orders and revenue broadly in line with expectations. "Orders and revenue were as per our expectations. We had expected about a 40% increase in orders. It turned out to be one of our best Sundays in terms of sales. We are still awaiting the final numbers from Bengaluru and Hyderabad," he said.
"Throughout the Fifa World Cup, we saw orders go up significantly, especially for party packs and assorted boxes, as people hosted watch parties till the early hours. That trend continued during the final," he added.
The business opportunity, however, remains tied to local operating regulations.
The extension of operating hours led to packed restaurants and restobars across Bengaluru, according to P.M. Ananth Narayan, founder of the nightclub chain Just BLR Group and Nrai's Bengaluru chapter head. He said the move led to higher business volumes, increased GST collections and better earning opportunities for hospitality workers.
Football's growing commercial appeal has also translated into a sharp rise in television viewership.
Broadcaster Z said it recorded an all-time high network share of 20% among urban viewers aged 15 years and above in week 24 of 2026. Since 1 June, the tournament has reached more than 300 million unique viewers across its television channels, OTT platform ZEE5 and social media platforms.
Swiggy Instamart saw a sharp surge in late-night orders during the Fifa World Cup final, with larger basket sizes indicating consumers stocked up for the full match, the company said. Chips, namkeen, popcorn, cakes and cream biscuits dominated watch-party carts, while instant noodles were the top quick meal.
Iced tea and kombucha were the fastest-growing beverages, up 147%. Orders peaked in the second half (1:31-2:15 am). Hosur saw the biggest jump, up 41.9% over a regular Sunday, with strong growth also in Tirunelveli, Jodhpur, Sonipat, Roorkee, Kozhikode, Lonavala, Palakkad, Guwahati and Bilaspur.