World Cup Kickoff Boosts Israeli Consumer Spending, Especially Electronics

As the 2026 World Cup kicked off last Thursday, credit card spending rose across most consumer and leisure sectors in Israel, according to Phoenix Gamma’s index, which tracks card activity and shopper behavior in retail industries. The increase was strongest in the second half of the week, from Wednesday through Saturday, with Thursday emerging as the busiest shopping day.

The sharpest weekly gain was in electrical products, where turnover jumped 12%. Phoenix Gamma said the rise was driven mainly by more transactions and a 25% increase starting Wednesday. The average purchase in the category was 1,447 shekels, down 2% from the previous week, suggesting discounts and promotions. Much of the growth came from television sales, and it was concentrated online rather than in physical stores. Electronics spending rose 31% online over the weekend, compared with 6% in brick-and-mortar shops.

Home viewing of the matches also lifted fast-food orders online by 8%. In computers and mobile phones, spending increased 8%, mainly because the average purchase rose 12% to 629 shekels. Here too, the surge began on Wednesday, when card spending in the category was more than 30% higher than the previous week, with online sales outperforming store purchases.

Nadav Lahmani, CEO of Control, part of Phoenix Gamma, said, “The start of the World Cup has so far benefited businesses in Israel.” He added that their next challenge is to turn the summer vacation period, as teenagers finish school, into a significant sales boost.