Geofencing: How to Score During the World Cup

Few events bring people together quite like the World Cup. Fans fill stadiums, fan zones and sports bars, creating an ideal chance for brands to connect with people in the moment.

If you want to reach fans while they’re caught up in the excitement, geofencing is a great way to do it. It’s simple, effective, and helps you reach people where the action is.

What Geofencing Is

Geofencing lets you set a virtual boundary around a real place such as a stadium, viewing area or busy sports bar. When someone enters that space with their phone, you can serve them an ad, message, or offer. It’s an easy way to connect with people based on where they are and what they’re doing.

Imagine setting a digital radius around a fan zone or a bar where matches are playing. As people walk in, they get a quick message about a nearby event or a limited-time offer. It’s an easy, low-pressure way to stay part of what’s happening right there, without interrupting the moment.

For brands running experiential marketing events, street team marketing campaigns, or pop up shop activations, geofencing adds another layer of precision. It helps you meet people exactly where your event is happening and extend the experience beyond the physical space.

Why It Works During the World Cup

The World Cup gathers huge, active crowds who are already on their phones checking scores, sharing photos, and messaging friends. It’s the perfect time to reach audiences who are tuned in and ready to engage.

World Cup fans are a mix of die-hards and casual watchers, but they all have one thing in common, they’re paying attention. Matches pull people into shared routines: checking highlights on breaks, meeting up to watch games, scrolling through reactions between plays. It’s a rare moment when everyone’s tuned in at once, online and in real life.

Events like the World Cup also shift the rhythm of daily life. People go out more, gather in bigger groups, and turn everyday spaces into social ones. Cities get busier, bars stay packed longer, and there’s just more happening out in the world. That energy often spills over into how people explore, discover, and make choices, which is exactly where geofencing can make a difference.

That level of focus makes geofencing especially useful. You’re not guessing where people might be or what might get their attention, you already know where the energy is. When fans are that active and connected, the timing of your message matters just as much as the message itself.

Because these fans are already in discovery mode, geofencing helps your brand show up naturally. Whether you’re promoting a special offer, highlighting a nearby event, or supporting a product launch activation, you’re connecting with people in real time while emotions and excitement are running high.

Brands that have used location-based marketing around major sporting events often see engagement rates climb by 20–40% compared to standard mobile ads. That’s the kind of lift that can make a big difference when you’re competing for attention during one of the busiest global events of the year.

How Brands Can Use It

Geofencing can work for almost any type of brand. Restaurants and bars can attract nearby fans. Retailers can promote timely offers. Travel, entertainment, and lifestyle brands can connect with visitors in host cities.

Even smaller or local brands can make the most of it. You don’t need a huge budget or national presence to be part of the excitement. A single location can geofence its neighborhood or fan zone and still see strong engagement just by being timely and relevant. The value isn’t only in scale, it’s in showing up in the right place at the right time.

Geofencing also plays nicely with other touchpoints. It can amplify social campaigns, guide foot traffic to live activations, or add a digital layer to something as simple as a QR code. It’s flexible enough to support whatever kind of experience you’re building.

If you’re planning experiential activations, brand experience marketing, or live events, geofencing helps bridge the gap between digital and on-the-ground engagement. You can geofence stadiums, fan zones, bars, or public areas to reach people as matches unfold, and it works well alongside social or out-of-home activity. That consistency across both digital and physical spaces helps keep your message clear and top of mind.

We’ve seen geofencing drive great results when used with other experiential tools. For example, pairing it with a street team campaign or pop up shop can boost overall reach and drive more real-world interactions.

Why It Matters

Geofencing helps brands be part of the moment rather than watching from the sidelines. It’s practical, creative, and connects your marketing with real experiences.

For an experiential marketing agency like ours, it’s a way to merge tech with human connection, giving people something they actually care about, in the exact place and time it matters.

What makes it work isn’t just the technology, but the timing. The World Cup creates natural energy that people already want to be part of, and geofencing helps brands plug into that without forcing it. When done right, it feels less like marketing and more like participation, you’re simply showing up where people already are, adding value to an experience they’re choosing to have.

Final Thoughts

The World Cup is full of energy and connection. Geofencing gives you a simple way to tap into that atmosphere and reach fans in a way that feels natural and well-timed.

At Moderne Communications, we help brands use ideas like this to stay visible and relevant during moments that matter. Whether it’s a pop up shop, a brand activation event, or a large-scale experiential campaign, we know how to bring creative ideas to life and keep your brand part of the excitement. Contact us today so we can help these activations come to life.