The FIFA World Cup 2026 is happening now — and football is everywhere.
On screens. In bars. In fan zones. Around dinner tables. And, very often, in the shopping basket.
That is why the new collaboration between Smurfit Westrock and Coca-Cola China is more than a nice packaging story. It is a fresh example of how corrugated and paper-based packaging can move from the background of logistics into the centre of a global consumer moment.
According to Smurfit Westrock, its China team developed a series of paper-based packaging solutions for Coca-Cola China’s 2026 World Cup campaign, designed for both retail and e-commerce channels. The range includes an octagonal eight-can 330ml gift pack with space for a World Cup souvenir, an octagonal seven-mini-can pack, a basket-style pack and an e-commerce solution.
For the corrugated packaging industry, this is the interesting part: the pack is not only protecting the cans. It is helping Coca-Cola China turn a football tournament into a shopping experience.
A football pack, not just a drinks pack
Coca-Cola’s link with the FIFA World Cup goes back decades. FIFA says Coca-Cola has had stadium advertising at every FIFA World Cup since 1950 and has been an official FIFA World Cup sponsor since 1978. The Coca-Cola Company also describes the 2026 tournament as a huge global stage, with 48 teams, 1,200+ players, 104 matches and 16 venues across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
That history gives the packaging more weight.
This is not a random seasonal promotion. This is packaging created for one of the biggest sporting events in the world, at the exact moment when people are buying drinks and snacks for matches, parties, home viewing and shared football evenings.
The most eye-catching piece is the octagonal eight-can gift pack. A normal multipack can disappear on a shelf. This shape immediately feels different. It is more like a fan object than a standard drinks carrier. The souvenir space adds to that feeling: the pack becomes something closer to a small World Cup item, not just a way to move cans from the shop to the kitchen.
That is where the design becomes important for corrugated and paper-based packaging producers.
Shape is not decoration. Shape is attention.
From the shelf to the sofa
Smurfit Westrock says the project was developed after a dedicated packaging workshop with Coca-Cola’s channel team. The aim was to capture the excitement of the World Cup while still meeting the practical needs of modern retail: shelf presence, structural stability, efficient packing and a good consumer experience in both stores and online.
This is a useful lesson for converters.
A campaign pack now has to live in several places at once. It must look strong on a supermarket shelf. It must protect the product. It must be efficient enough for production and packing. It must also survive e-commerce and still feel special when it arrives at home.
That is why this project is not built around only one hero pack. The wider range — gift pack, mini-can pack, basket-style pack and e-commerce solution — shows how the same campaign idea can travel across different buying moments without losing its identity.
This is where paper-based packaging becomes more interesting.
It is not only a material choice. It becomes a way to connect retail, gifting, delivery and unboxing into one brand story.
What Smurfit Westrock and Coca-Cola China say
Saverio Mayer, CEO of Smurfit Westrock EMEA & APAC, said the partnership shows how paper-based packaging can help brands “maximise impact” during a major sporting event and connect with consumers “when and where it matters most.”
Chris Zhong, Retail Customer Marketing Manager at Coca-Cola China, added that the World Cup is a key moment for connecting with consumers and that packaging plays an important role. He said the solutions were created to stand out on shelf and deliver a unique experience wherever consumers shop.
These are PR quotes, of course, but they point to a real shift.
Packaging is no longer being discussed only as protection or cost. It is being discussed as part of consumer engagement.
For corrugated packaging producers, that is a very important change.
Why this is good for the reputation of corrugated packaging
For many consumers, corrugated packaging still means a brown box.
Strong. Practical. Useful. But not always exciting.
Projects like this help change that image. They show that paper-based packaging can be colourful, structural, playful and emotional. It can support a sustainability message, but still look premium. It can help a global brand create attention without turning the pack into unnecessary plastic theatre.
Smurfit Westrock describes the Coca-Cola China project as part of an effort to boost visibility, enhance consumer experience and support omni-channel retail during a high-demand sporting moment.
For the industry, this is the main message.
The future of corrugated packaging is not only stronger board, faster machines and lower cost. Those things matter. But brands also want packaging that can become visible, memorable and useful in the exact moment when consumers are ready to buy.
The World Cup makes that easy to see.
People are not just buying Coca-Cola. They are buying something for the match, for friends, for the evening, for the atmosphere.
A good pack can help create that feeling.
What converters can take from this project
The first lesson is that event-based packaging can create value. A global tournament, a local festival, a sports final, a holiday or a brand anniversary can become a reason to rethink the pack — not only the graphics, but the whole structure.
The second lesson is that shape matters. The octagonal Coca-Cola pack stands out because it does not look like a standard multipack. For converters, this is a reminder that structural design can be as powerful as print.
The third lesson is that retail and e-commerce should not always use the same thinking. A shelf pack must stop the eye. An e-commerce pack must survive delivery and still create a good unboxing experience. The strongest projects understand both worlds from the beginning.
And the fourth lesson is that packaging producers need to be part of the creative conversation earlier. Smurfit Westrock’s work with Coca-Cola China began with a workshop, not simply with a request for a box. That is where converters can move from supplier to partner.
The bigger message
This project is interesting because it gives corrugated and paper-based packaging a more visible role.
The World Cup gives the emotion.
Coca-Cola gives the brand power.
Smurfit Westrock gives the paper-based packaging expertise.
Together, they show how a pack can become more than protection. It can become a gift, a display, a souvenir holder, an e-commerce experience and a small part of the football evening.
For our industry, that matters.
Every time paper-based packaging becomes beautiful, useful and emotionally connected to a global brand moment, the reputation of corrugated packaging grows.
During the World Cup, everyone watches the ball.
But on the shelf, packaging is playing too.
Sources: Smurfit Westrock, Business Wire, Packaging Insights, Packaging Europe, FIFA / Coca-Cola partnership information, The Coca-Cola Company
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