INTERNATIONAL. Plaza Premium Group (PPG) has launched a global campaign celebrating the FIFA World Cup across its lounge network, featuring themed activations and curated food & beverage offerings.
Named ‘The Starting Line’, the initiative positions the hospitality company’s lounges, hotels, dining and airport services as a pre-game hub for sports travellers.
Plaza Premium Group Chief Transformation Officer Mei Mei Song said: “We don’t own the game, but we own the moment before it. The Starting Line is about elevating that in-between airport moment into something energising, memorable, and an essential part of the sporting journey.”
The ‘warm-up zone’
To capture the World Cup atmosphere, Plaza Premium lounges have been designed to offer a feel of pre-game destinations for football fans.
In Brazil, PPG’s lounges at São Paulo/Guarulhos and Rio de Janeiro Galeão international airports feature dedicated ‘Fan Zones’ with large-format screens and stadium-inspired decor.
A match-day experience is created through national flags and stadium-themed décor at Canadian airports, including Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg Richardson International. The same concept extends across the Middle East and Africa at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, Dubai, Amman Queen Alia, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta and Cairo international airports.
Across the host country USA, PPG lounges at Dallas Fort Worth and Orlando international airports will feature interactive experiences for travellers. On match days, fans can join trivia sessions or take on the ‘Score to Win’ hover football challenge, where they can attempt penalty-style shots to win exclusive prizes.
Football-inspired food
PPG’s international lounges are also serving World Cup-themed menus, including at Brazilian airports where travellers can enjoy Boteco-inspired food and beverages from local brewers, and at Canadian airports featuring regional specialities such as poutine, sliders and pass-around appetisers.
The football-themed dining concept is also rolled out across PPG lounges in the USA and across the Middle East and Africa, with premium match-day cocktails, destination-inspired complimentary treats, and interactive children’s colouring activities.
Across Europe, lounges are enhancing the traveller experience with curated summer kits featuring essentials such as sun cream, tissues and hydration sachets.
Plaza Premium Lounge passes also provide flexible options for match-day travellers, with savings of up to -50% compared to walk-in rates.
- The Global Pass: Ideal for fans crossing continents from Asia or the EMEA region to the Americas.
- The Americas & Canada Pass: Tailor-made for fans traveling domestically or regionally between host cities
World Cup experience at Aerotel
PPG’s Aerotel hotel concept at Shanghai Pudong International Airport is extending the football experience to travellers with live match screenings in guest rooms.
In London, guests can catch live action in the Library Lounge, while the Madrid location offers selected match screenings during stays, with additional locations set to follow.
Summer travel kits will also be available exclusively at UK locations, providing travel essentials.
Match-day dining experience
To enhance the experience, PPG has introduced a ‘Watch & Dine’ concept across Southeast Asian airports, including Flight Club locations at Kuala Lumpur International, Kota Kinabalu and Bali I Gusti Ngurah Rai International airports.
These venues feature sharing-style menus with snack combos, group platters and bundled beer buckets.
The experience complements the World Cup atmosphere with stadium-inspired settings, curated playlists, football-themed décor and interactive elements, including photo booths and a ‘Lucky Wheel’ in Bali. ‘Fan Fuel’ offerings are also available across locations for travelling fans.
Fast Track services
Travellers can access personalised support and local insights through Meet & Assist and Fast Track services, with ALLWAYS Meet & Assist greeters delivering a smoother, more convenient journey. Services include buggy transfers for easy terminal navigation and porter assistance for hassle-free baggage handling.
The Meet & Assist service is available at over 500 airports worldwide, including key North American hubs such as Dallas Fort Worth International, Orlando International and Toronto Pearson International, alongside a recently expanded presence at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
PPG has introduced a new mascot to amplify the global football atmosphere, capturing the spirit of the modern sports traveller and showcasing how guests are integrating sport, movement and global events into their journeys. ✈
 The Moodie Davitt Report also publishes Airport Hospitality World, the latest edition to our wide-ranging, market-leading travel retail and airport non-aeronautical revenues publishing and event portfolio. Airport Hospitality World covers all forms of airport lounges across international and domestic terminals, including various definitions as follows:
Plus other hospitality-related platforms:
Excitingly, the long-established Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) + Hospitality Conference & Awards will embrace Airport Hospitality World from the 2026 edition – the event’s 15th anniversary. |
