Starbucks Reveals New Bearista Mugs for the World Cup

First, a little context. Starbucks launched the glass Bearista cup as part of their 2025 holiday collection, and it became one of the fastest-moving pieces of Starbucks merch in recent memory.

The 12-ounce bear-shaped tumbler sold out within hours at most locations and went viral on TikTok almost immediately. Secondary market prices hit $150 to $300, with authenticated cups in original packaging consistently landing toward the top of that range.

The World Cup version is essentially the same cup with a different hat: a soccer ball-inspired cap on the bear instead of the holiday design. Starbucks New Zealand confirmed on Instagram that their Football Bearista Cup drops on Thursday, June 11 at 9:00am at selected stores and online. New Zealand locations include Auckland, Wellington , and Christchurch. The cup will not be available through the Starbucks app there.

Beyond New Zealand, things get hazier fast. Multiple international Starbucks accounts have posted World Cup-adjacent content, and social media is buzzing with speculation about a broader release. Starbucks Mexico confirmed bear-shaped charms are coming, but has not confirmed mugs.

Some Starbucks “insiders” are claiming the cups are already appearing at Starbucks stores in Mexico and Canada, but we were not able to verify this. If it was true, we’d expect to see listings popping up on eBay.

Speaking of which, we need to point something out. Because of the original Bearista cup’s viral success, an entire cottage industry of knockoffs emerged on eBay. You can sniff out a fake mug pretty easily from the AI-generated listings and Chinese shipping addresses, but the dilution makes it tricky to assess the market at a glance.

One unconfirmed rumor worth taking seriously: the mugs may only be sold at Starbucks locations in 2026 FIFA World Cup host cities. The 2026 World Cup spans 16 cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. If you’re in one of these cities, it’s worth being ready.

United States:

The only confirmed release is New Zealand on June 11 at 9:00am local time. Everything else is unconfirmed. There is no confirmed US retail price, no confirmed US release date, and no verified sold data for legitimate cups yet.

That said: June 11 is when the World Cup starts, and that’s when the bulk of the speculation converges. If you’re in New Zealand, be ready at 9:00am at one of the confirmed locations. If you’re in a World Cup host city anywhere in North America, it is worth keeping an eye out for more information in the next 72 hours.

Additionally, it’s possible this won’t be a traditional sale. After the Bearista mugs sold out last year, Starbucks restocked them exclusively as a reward in their 2025 Merrython program. They may roll out a similar World Cup-themed promo with the Bearista mugs as an exclusive reward. Literally anything can happen!

We’re sorry to be so vague, but there’s simply too much conflicting, unconfirmed information to present you with a solid gameplan right now. But if you consider that these Bearista cups were reselling for more than ten times what they retailed for last year, you’ll understand why we want you to be aware of the opportunity.

If you’re in New Zealand or a host city in the Americas, stay on your toes. This could be your chance to make a few hundred bucks this week. Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter for updates on this flip and other profitable opportunities from across the internet.