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India’s late-night food delivery market is witnessing a sharp rise as the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 drives demand during overnight match screenings. Industry leaders say changing lifestyles among young consumers, coupled with football fever, have significantly boosted food orders during late-night and early-morning hours. According to executives from quick-service restaurant chains, food delivery platforms, and quick commerce companies, demand for food deliveries between late night and early morning has jumped by nearly 12–15% over the past two weeks. Even before the tournament began, businesses had already recorded a steady 10–12% annual growth in late-night ordering habits. A major factor behind this trend is the shift in lifestyle patterns among younger consumers, many of whom now stay awake until 2 am or even later. McDonald’s India Chairman Sanjeev Agrawal noted that traditional dinner timings are rapidly changing, with more customers placing orders well past midnight. The company has already extended operating hours, with nearly 20% of its outlets across cities like Delhi-NCR, Lucknow, and Jaipur now functioning till 3 am, while select highway locations operate round the clock. Food delivery platform Swiggy reported that pizzas and burgers emerged as the most popular orders between 11 pm and 3 am since the tournament began. Among major cities, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai recorded the highest volume of overnight orders, while emerging cities such as Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, and Patna also showed strong demand. One customer in Chandigarh reportedly placed a late-night order worth ₹16,444. Meanwhile, Domino’s India has informed customers that several stores are now accepting orders until 3 am to cater to the increased demand. Its franchise partner, Jubilant FoodWorks, currently operates more than 2,400 outlets across the country. Packaged food brands are also benefiting from the trend. Amul Managing Director Jayen Mehta said demand during match hours is running 30–40% higher compared to normal days. Ice creams, frozen snacks, chocolates, and dairy-based products are seeing a strong uptick on quick-commerce platforms like Blinkit, BigBasket, and Zepto, especially in metro cities and southern India. However, industry experts noted that while overnight demand is rising steadily, late-night deliveries still represent a relatively smaller share compared to daytime orders. Availability also depends on local government regulations and store operating permissions. Source: Economic Times