World Cup and summer heat send South Korea's fried chicken industry soaring

South Korea's fried chicken industry is riding a wave of surging demand as the 2026 North and Central America World Cup overlaps with the peak summer season.

According to chicken franchise industry sources, bhc saw sales rise about 21 percent year-on-year during the World Cup period, which began June 12. "Sales grew thanks to the World Cup combined with the structural tailwind of the summer peak season," a bhc official said.

Particularly on June 12 — when the South Korean national team pulled off a comeback victory over the Czech Republic in their first group stage match — sales jumped more than fourfold from the same time the previous week between the morning hours and 1 p.m. BBQ also recorded a roughly 300 percent surge in sales.

Chicken franchises proactively adjusted their operating hours on match days to capitalize on the World Cup boost. bhc moved up opening time at major company-owned stores nationwide to one hour before kickoff. BBQ began operations at key locations as early as 8 to 9 a.m. The strategy paid off: on July 19, when South Korea played their second group match, sales at major BBQ stores jumped about 4.5 times compared to normal levels as of 1 p.m.

Although the South Korean team failed to advance past the round of 32, demand for chicken during World Cup matches remained steady. Late-night fixtures drew particular interest, including Brazil vs. Japan, Argentina vs. Cabo Verde and England vs. the Democratic Republic of Congo in the round of 32, as well as Argentina vs. Egypt and Portugal vs. Spain in the round of 16.

The timing of the summer peak season — a traditional boom period for the chicken industry — added further momentum. BBQ reported that sales on Wednesday, the first of the three traditional "dog days" of summer, jumped 147.8 percent compared to the same day the previous week and were up 29.3 percent from the equivalent day last year.

Promotional campaigns tied to the dog days are also heating up. bhc launched a new menu item called "Curingle" and is offering discount coupons of up to 13,000 won ($9) for customers who place three orders. BBQ unveiled a new item called "Phil Crunch," developed in collaboration with Stray Kids member Felix, along with gift sets featuring dakgaejang and dakgomtang chicken soups. Kyochon Chicken is running a dog-days event in which customers who share their favorite menu item on social media receive a complimentary "Honey Whole Chicken."

"The national team's World Cup run ended in disappointment, but sales picked right back up as we moved straight into the summer peak season," an industry official said.