LEGO calls World Cup range a breakthrough in reaching new consumers

LEGO’s FIFA World Cup range helped attract new customers during a record first half, offering evidence that major football licensing can broaden a consumer brand’s audience rather than simply generate merchandise sales.The Danish group reported revenue of DKK41.9bn for the six months to June 30, up 21%, while operating profit increased 22% and net profit rose 32%.LEGO chief executive Niels Christiansen said: “We definitely saw the World Cup as an example of us bringing the Lego brand close to a passion point.”He described the World Cup sets as a breakthrough for the company, with consumer interest extending across trophy products and some of football’s highest-profile players.Christiansen said separately: “The product portfolio is really, really strong and it hits new passion points in this first half.”LEGO launched more than 330 products during the period, including a US$199.99 replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy.The company said World Cup and Formula One products attracted new customers, alongside demand generated by entertainment properties including Pokémon and KPop Demon Hunters.That distinction is commercially significant for FIFA. Licensing agreements generate direct income through rights fees and royalties, but their wider value increases when a partner can use football intellectual property to reach consumers who were not previously buying its products.The World Cup therefore gives LEGO access to an established global passion point while allowing FIFA to extend its tournament brand into consumer categories beyond traditional football merchandise.The approach also illustrates how rights holders can evaluate licensing partnerships against broader objectives such as customer acquisition, audience development and brand engagement rather than sales alone.Christiansen said LEGO has continued growing among both adults and children, giving the company a broader consumer base across which sports and entertainment properties can operate.The football contribution should not be overstated. LEGO’s first-half growth came from a wide portfolio of products and partnerships, and the company did not disclose revenue generated specifically by World Cup merchandise.That means the tournament cannot be credited with driving the group’s 21% revenue increase.The more useful commercial signal is that LEGO itself is identifying the World Cup as a successful route into consumer interests and new audiences, giving FIFA tangible evidence of how its intellectual property can create value for partners beyond the initial licensing transaction.