Is it just Haaland's hair tie that is a hit? With South Korea out, retailers are left disappointed [Trend Recipe]

[Financial News] #The hair tie brand used by Norwegian striker Erling Braut Haaland, who is chasing the scoring title at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, has unexpectedly emerged as a popular item. The hair tie Haaland wears in every World Cup match to match his uniform color is a product of the hair accessory brand KKNEKKI, which originated in Korea. As Haaland's performances boosted the item's popularity, the "Haaland Edition" launched in collaboration with him sold out. KKNEKKI said on its website, "Unfortunately, this item will not be restocked."
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup has drawn record crowds and become a major hit, its global economic impact is once again in the spotlight. By contrast, domestic retailers, whose brief windfall ended with Hong Myung-bo's team being eliminated in the group stage, are feeling downcast.
According to the industry on the 11th, most World Cup marketing campaigns that had been prepared in anticipation of strong performances by the South Korean national team were either canceled or scaled back. South Korea beat Czechia in its first group-stage match, raising hopes of reaching the round of 32, but it was eliminated early after losing to Mexico and South Africa in the following matches.
The beer and chicken industries, which had seen marketing gains during the group stage, were hit hardest by the disappointment.
Oriental Brewery (OB), an official World Cup sponsor and official partner of the national team, drew strong attention by setting up the "Cass FIFA World Cup 2026 Fan Base Camp" on a major street near Gangnam Station with Cass at the center. From the 11th to the 25th of last month, when the group stage was held, cumulative visitors topped 13,000 over two weeks, far exceeding its target. The company also held cheering events at five locations in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, recording high participation. But after the national team failed to advance to the round of 32, it decided to close the camp early.
Major chicken franchises such as bb.q Chicken, bhc, and Kyochon Chicken moved up business hours and ran discount promotions to match the early match times. On the 19th of last month, when the match against Mexico was held, bb.q Chicken's sales as of 1 p.m. were 4.5 times higher than usual, and sales for the Czechia match also rose by about four times. The company had expected cheering demand to continue if the team advanced to the tournament, but the special boost ended early. Baedal Minjok also saw a brief lift as morning orders for chicken, pizza, and other items surged.
While South Korea was left disappointed by its early exit, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is enjoying record-breaking success.
The expansion of the tournament from 32 teams to 48 this year is seen as having met expectations for greater economic impact. A first-ever pricing policy that varied ticket prices also worked. Although the top price was set as high as $6,730, or about 10 million won, sparking controversy, most matches still sold out.
A retail industry official said, "The World Cup boom is heavily influenced by consumer sentiment depending on the national team's results." The official added, "It is disappointing that the tournament ended earlier than expected, but since there were also gains, sports marketing will continue to expand."
unsaid@fnnews.com Kang Myeong-yeon Reporter