The Kick-Off: A global celebration of flavor and togetherness
15 Dec 2025
As the world counts down to soccer season, excitement rises, not just on the pitch, but in bakeries everywhere. This isn’t just a sports event. It’s a cultural phenomenon. A time when families gather, friends cheer, and communities unite over shared passion and shared food.
The numbers speak for themselves: the 2022 tournament reached 5.6 billion viewers, with an average of 175 million per match. That’s not just soccer fans, it’s entire nations coming together, people who want to celebrate their team or simply be part of the moment.
For bakers, this is a golden opportunity. Every goal, every cheer, every shared plate is a chance to make your products the centerpiece of celebration.
What Taste Tomorrow data reveals
According to Taste Tomorrow, trends are shaping consumer expectations:
- 76% of consumers love sharing food with friends and family.
- We project a 29% online increase for the local authenticity trend over the coming year.
This season, you can combine these insights with the excitement of soccer to create products that resonate with today’s consumers. In this article, you’ll find ideas and inspiration build around 3 winning inspirations:
- Local Champions
- Sharing Moments
- Snacking while cheering
Explore how brands tapped into past soccer hype and what drove the biggest consumer buzz on Taste Tomorrow
Local Champions: Celebrate national pride
Soccer is global, but celebrations are rooted in local traditions. People are seeking out products that express cultural identity, celebrate local ingredients or are made using traditional methods. This is your chance to combine the excitement of the game with authentic flavors. Inspire your customers with bakery creations that reflect national pride and creativity. Let’s get inspired by some soccer nation classics:
- Brazil: Pão de Queijo (cheese bread), a game day favorite with a cheesy twist
- Argentina: Empanadas, perfect for handheld snacking during the game
- Mexico: Conchas, colorful and festive sweet breads
- Italy: Focaccia, ideal for sharing during matches
- France: French brioche, the perfect shareable treat
- Germany: Pretzel rolls, the ultimate beer-and-socccer companion
- Spain: Mini bocadillos, for tapas-style snacking
- UK: Classic sausage rolls, for a pub-style sandwiches
When the celebration moves outdoors for a BBQ, help your customers impress their guests with creative burgers inspired by soccer nations. In this concept, the fillings steal the spotlight but they also would need the perfect bun to shine!
- Brazil: Juicy beef topped with grilled pineapple and smoky chili sauce, served on a soft brioche bun.
- Argentina: Celebrate BBQ culture with chimichurri-marinated steak on rustic rolls.
- Mexico: Spicy chorizo or black bean burgers with avocado crema and jalapeños, paired with a sesame bun.
- Italy: Mediterranean flair with pesto chicken on focaccia-style buns.
- France: Elegant indulgence with creamy brie and caramelized onions on a brioche bun.
- Germany: Classic burger with mustard and pickles on a pretzel bun.
- Spain: A twist to the classic burger, with the addition of serrano ham and manchego cheese.
- UK: Fish-and-chips-inspired sliders on soft rolls.
Looking to create the best burger bun? Puratos is here to help
- Easy Soft’r
- Intens improver
- S500
- Sunset Glaze
- Sapore
- O-tentic
- Softgrain
- Puraslim
Sharing Moments: Because every goal tastes better together
Soccer brings people together. Whether it’s families gathered around the TV, friends cheering in cafés, or coworkers catching the game during lunch, every game is a moment to connect, celebrate, and indulge.
Help your customers create gatherings that are memorable, easy, and enjoyable with products designed for sharing. Need inspiration? Try these ideas:
- Pull-apart cheese bread: A cheesy pull-apart bread, ideal to share during celebrations.
- Pinsa: An authentic sourdough pinsa, made for sharing while cheering.
- Potato brioche burger buns: A soft potato brioche bun with a soccer twist, the star of any match-day BBQ.
- Hybrid hot dogs: A bold twist on the classic BBQ hot dog bun: half laminated, half brioche.
Puratos helps you make these ideas a reality with innovative solutions:
- Intens Soft & Fine
- S500
- Softgrain
- O-Tentic
- Sapore
- Sunset Glaze
- Mimetic
Snacking while cheering
Soccer nights call for the perfect snack! Whether it’s halftime or extra time, bakery treats are the ultimate companion for every goal and every cheer.
This is your chance to create bakery products that support active lifestyles to your consumers while delivering great taste. Looking for healthy snacking ideas?
- Soccer brioche: A playful brioche, filled with chocolate delight, perfect for game day moments
- Chocorug: A Nordic-inspired chocolate snack for halftime energy
Why this matters for your bakery
This soccer season isn’t just about the game: it’s about connection, creativity, and growth. By tapping into sharing formats, snacking and local authenticity, you can meet consumer expectations and stand out in the market.
Make your bakery part of the soccer celebration: download your poster here and get started!
Let’s bake the game together
Contact your Puratos representative today for recipes, technical support, and inspiration. Make this soccer season your bakery’s winning moment.
“Puratos is not affiliated with or an official partner or sponsor of the FIFA World Cup and nothing in this article is intended to pretend such or a similar type of relationship."
