India’s restaurants-bars halve earnings on FIFA final night, business doubles normal Sunday, food orders surge

The final match of FIFA World Cup 2026 has not only boosted the excitement among football fans in India, but also brought huge benefits to hotels, restaurants, pubs, clubs and food delivery businesses. On the night of the final match, a huge crowd was seen in sports bars and restaurants in many major cities of the country. Despite the match being late at night, football fans turned up in large numbers to watch the live screening. According to traders and restaurant operators, there was a significant increase in food and beverage and other related business compared to normal days.
Restaurants and pubs houseful in major cities
Many bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants in major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad held live screenings of the FIFA final. Football fans had booked tables in advance to watch the match. At some places, large LED screens and projectors were also installed at the last minute keeping in mind the growing crowd.
Even though the time of the match was late at night, the enthusiasm of the people did not diminish. Many places were specially decorated on the sports theme and special food combos and match screening packages were introduced for football fans. Most of the seats in the premium outlets were already booked.
Business allowed till late night
Restaurants and bars were allowed to stay open longer than normal in some states in view of the FIFA finals. The decision directly benefited the hospitality industry as bars and restaurants in Delhi were allowed to stay open till 4 am. Late night operations were also allowed in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.
Some venues had special tickets or packages to watch the matches. The price of such a package was found to be around Rs 1,500 to Rs 10,000. According to estimates from industry insiders, the grossing on the night of the finals in many places was almost double that of a normal Sunday.
Food delivery also increased by 30 to 40 percent
The impact of the final was not limited to restaurants and pubs. Food delivery platforms and cloud kitchens also received large numbers of orders late at night. According to some business estimates, food orders increased by 30 to 40 percent compared to a normal weekend.
Demand for pizzas, burgers, fries, snacks and cold drinks among football fans was seen to increase. Many restaurants also introduced special FIFA themed food combos. Food orders were also ordered online by people watching the match at home due to the excitement of the match.
Demand for jerseys and sports merchandise increased
The FIFA finals also boosted sales of sporting goods. In particular, demand for jerseys of well-known players and FIFA-themed merchandise increased. Fans bought team jerseys, scarves and other football related items before the match.
Although many bars and restaurants have reported a big increase in sales, no official national figure for total alcohol sales or the business as a whole has been released in India yet. However, it is clear that India’s hospitality, food delivery and sports merchandise sectors received a big business boost on a night of the FIFA World Cup finals.