Beginning on June 12 with a match between Brazil and Croatia and lasting until the finals are played a month later, the World Cup is sure to spawn many celebrations, even in the United States, where soccer is not considered a major sport.

Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the Hass Avocado Board, said globally the World Cup is huge. “It’s the second most watched sporting event globally, only behind the Olympics.”

While it does not create quite the same frenzy in the United States as it does in Europe, South America and most of the rest of the world, Escobedo said it is still a very big event.  Emiliano Escobedo

In 2010 — the last time it was held — almost 122 million viewers in the United States tuned in to watch at least some of the final game, which pitted eventual winner Spain against the Netherlands. That was a 22 percent increase over viewership in 2006.  

With Brazil hosting this year’s tournament and games being held generally in the same time zones as in the United States, the ratings should be even higher. Add the fact that many soccer-crazed fans from Mexico, Central America, South America, Europe and all over the globe have settled in the United States, and network executives are anticipating record-breaking audiences for many of the matches.

Escobedo said soccer fans love to follow their national team but they also follow many other teams, as it is an international sport and the identity of the stars is very well known globally.  

He said players from one country often play professionally in another, creating global fans for that player and their team. “You might have a player on the German national team who plays in Mexico professionally,” he said. “That will cause some of his Mexican fans to follow the German team.”

Escobedo indicated this happens all over the world, creating great interest in many teams. He believes many of the games will receive substantial viewership, especially as the World Cup marches toward its conclusion and story lines are developed, with stars and underdogs emerging.

The United States has a very credible team this year that may well make its deepest run into the tournament ever, again creating some instant fans.

Escobedo said just like during the Super Bowl, many people will be hosting World Cup parties in the United States centered around the television schedule.  Mexico plays its first game on Friday, June 13, while the United States begins its quest for soccer immortality on Monday, June 16.

One needs only to look at the televisions commercials that have already appeared touting the games to see the impact national advertisers think the event will have.

Anheuser-Busch and its brands have already started running World Cup-themed ads on ESPN and during other sports shows.

As far as the produce industry is concerned, Avocados from Mexico has also already launched a World Cup promotion called  “El Mejor Partido,” or  “Best Game Ever,” which kicked off May 12 and will run through June 30. The promotion features two well-known Hispanic professional soccer players, Jorge Campos and Pavel Pardo, and is targeting 800 high-density Hispanic stores in several markets, including Texas, Chicago and various cities on the East Coast.

“Our goal is to reach Hispanic consumers with our avocados and share in the excitement of soccer’s biggest match,” said Alvaro Luque, president of Avocados from Mexico.    

The soccer players will be making in-store appearances in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York and Miami. AFM is sponsoring the Best Game Ever Sweepstakes to augment the promotion, presenting prizes to many lucky recipients.

An informal survey of a handful of retail produce executives at a recent industry event revealed no special promotions are being planned.  

“It’s a good idea,” said one vice president of produce for a regional chain, “but we haven’t planned anything and we haven’t been approached by anybody.”

However, a search of the Internet reveals that several food and beverage companies are making a big deal of the event.  Budweiser, which is the official beer of the 2014 World Cup, is launching television and print advertising as well as ramping up a social media campaign. After every match, through Twitter votes, the beer company will name a “Man of the Match.”

McDonald’s, another sponsor, has redesigned its fries packaging to resemble a soccer field. And Nabisco has launched a “Pass the Love” contest, which asks consumers to upload photos stating why they love soccer.

Escobedo said the interest by national firms certainly indicates that there are opportunities. He suspects there will be many in-store promotions for beer, chips and other products, and he suggests there might be cross-promotion possibilities for avocados and other fresh produce items.