From burgers to pizzas, Fifa nights drive food delivery orders in India

World Cup 2026 viewership in India is driving late-night demand for burgers, pizzas, fries and beverages on food delivery platforms

Football lovers in India are staying up late to watch their favourite stars in action during the ongoing Fifa World Cup 2026. This is also driving demand for food delivery platforms and restaurant chains, with fans ordering burgers, pizzas, fries and beverages well past midnight. 

The tournament, co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada, began on June 11 and will conclude on July 19. The match schedule, according to to Indian Standard Time (IST), is 12.30 am, 3.30 am, and 6.30 am.

What's India ordering while watching Fifa World Cup?

Data shared by Swiggy Food Marketplace shows that between June 11 and June 24, nearly half of all late-night orders placed between 11 pm and 3 am came during the 11 pm to midnight slot, which made it the busiest hour for food deliveries during match nights. 

 

Pizzas and burgers dominated consumer preferences during the period. The most-ordered items included Pepper Barbecue Chicken Pizza Mania, Crispy Chicken Burger Peri Peri Meal, Crispy Veg Burger Peri Peri Meal and Garlic Breadsticks, Swiggy said.

 

Among metros, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai recorded the highest volume of late-night football-related orders. In emerging markets, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram and Patna led the charts.

 

The appetite for match-night snacking was also evident in individual orders. According to Swiggy, the highest-value order during the period came from Chandigarh, where a customer spent ₹16,444 on an assortment of finger foods, including chicken wings, honey chilli cauliflower and honey chilli potato.

 

“This was the single-highest order in the country during this time,” Swiggy said.

McDonald's bets on match-night demand

Restaurant chains are also tailoring offerings around football viewing occasions.

 

McDonald's India (West and South) said it witnessed a rise in late-night orders during football matches, with customers gravitating towards shareable meal and combos.

 

"We've seen a clear uptick in late-night orders during football matches, with a strong preference for shareable formats like burgers, fries, and beverage combos," a McDonald's India (West and South) told Business Standard.

 

To capitalise on football-related demand, the company launched Mini Ball Meals, a meal-for-two offering that includes burgers, fries and Coke, along with a Coca-Cola-branded collectible mini football. The offering starts at ₹299 and is available through the McDelivery app and food delivery platforms.

 

According to the company, the campaign has seen encouraging traction in Mumbai, Goa, Bengaluru and several Tier-II cities, particularly during live matches.

 

"To tap into this, we introduced Mini Ball Meals, featuring sharing meal for 2 with a choice of burgers, fries and Coke starting at ₹299, that included a Coke x McDonald's collectible mini football, designed for group viewing occasions, and taps into the football fan frenzy," McDonald's India said. 

FIFA 2026 And Food Delivery: By The Numbers (AI-generated)

Brands eye bigger gains as knockout stage begins

According to Zee Entertainment, which is broadcasting the Fifa World Cup in India through Unite8 Sports channels and ZEE5 app, the opening weekend of the tournament drew more than 100 million viewers across all platforms. ZEE5 alone attracted around six million viewers during the June 11-14 period, with users spending time on live match coverage and related content.

 

With the group stage now over and the knockout rounds underway, companies are expecting interest to remain elevated as the tournament enters its most competitive phase.

 

The Round of 32 began on June 29, with heavyweight teams such as Brazil, France, England and Argentina in contention.

 

The trend points to a broader shift in consumption patterns. With the Fifa World Cup final scheduled for July 19, companies will be watching closely to see whether football fever continues to translate into midnight orders.