McDonald’s teases Squishmallows Happy Meal tied to 2026 FIFA World Cup

A Squishmallows Happy Meal may look like a small marketing lift, but on the floor it means more family traffic, more toy counts and more chances for a rush to get complicated. For crew members already juggling fries, burgers, app orders and value deals, another collectible promotion can change the rhythm of a shift as soon as customers start asking what is in stock and where to get it.

McDonald’s teased the tie-in as part of its long-running relationship with FIFA, which the two companies renewed in May 2023 for the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the 2026 Men’s World Cup. The tournament is set to run from June 11 to July 19, 2026, with 48 teams, 104 matches and games spread across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States. That makes the promotion more than a toy drop: it is a traffic play aimed at one of the biggest sports calendars of the year.

For workers, the practical questions come fast. McDonald’s says a U.S. Happy Meal includes a Hamburger or Chicken McNuggets, kids fries, apple slices, a beverage and a toy at participating restaurants. It also says current Happy Meal toys are listed on its Happy Meal site and that it does not keep inventory of past promotional items. That leaves managers to plan labor and stocking carefully, because a collectible campaign only works smoothly when the toy case is full, the crew knows the details and the drive-thru is not waiting on someone to explain why one location has a different character than another.

McDonald’s has used Squishmallows before. In December 2023, the chain launched a U.S. Squishmallows Happy Meal with 12 characters, including Grimace, plus a mystery character. That promotion also leaned into digital engagement, with QR codes linking to character playlists created with Universal Music Group. In July 2025, McDonald’s UK brought Squishmallows back with 15 plushes, including an exclusive character named Halley, showing how easily the brand can recycle a format that families already recognize.

The scale matters. McDonald’s said in its 2024 annual report that global systemwide sales exceeded $130 billion and that it had over two million employees and crew. Promotions like this can bring more hours and more sales, but they also add pressure at a moment when restaurant workers are still living with the legacy of Fight for $15, minimum wage fights and the steady spread of automation at the front counter and drive-thru. In corporate and franchise stores alike, the real test is whether the company matches the traffic it wants to create with the staffing and stock support to keep shifts moving.