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The World Cup is coming.
Is your media plan ready? 

Research reveals that when audiences tune in to one of the world’s most anticipated sports events this year, they’ll do so from the comfort of home, across phones, laptops, and TVs, with the help of streaming services. As fans across the globe prepare to root for their respective teams, advertisers should be ready to meet them across every stage of the fan journey.

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2026 FIFA World Cup Guide - The Trade Desk Intelligence

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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is shaping up to be the most expansive tournament in history. For the first time, three nations will share hosting duties across 16 cities, 48 teams will compete, and six weeks of matches will unfold from June 11 to July 19, streaming on Fox and Telemundo platforms, among others. That scale is expected to drive record global engagement, and new research from The Trade Desk Intelligence and Appinio details exactly how fans plan to show up.1 

Perhaps most telling: Viewers in each country surveyed say they plan to watch matches even if their team is eliminated. For marketers, it means engagement remains high from opening match to final whistle, and the data backs this up. 

The findings are clear: This audience is deeply committed. Nearly 100 million people in the U.S. say they plan to follow the 2026 tournament, roughly 4 times the number who watched the Qatar 2022 final on Fox.2 And engagement will not be limited to live match windows. Americans are expected to use roughly three forms of media to track the international tournament, spanning streaming platforms, podcasts, sports news sites, and social media. 

What makes this research especially valuable for marketers is the breadth of the picture it paints. Spanning 14 countries, the data captures how fans across markets plan to watch, what they plan to buy, and which platforms they will turn to throughout the matches. As the research suggests, the purchase intent baked into this audience is as significant as the viewership numbers themselves. 

How fans in three major markets plan to watch the World Cup

%
in Australia will tune in via CTV
%
in Canada will watch via sports apps
%
of U.S. viewers will stream via CTV
Source: The Trade Desk Intelligence and Appinio, 2026 FIFA World Cup Insights, October 2025.

Sources: 
1. The Trade Desk Intelligence and Appinio, 2026 FIFA World Cup Insights, N=500, U.S.; N=500, Canada; N=500, U.K.; N=500, Germany; N=500, France; N=500, Italy; N=500, Spain; N=500, Sweden; =500, Australia; N=500, Indonesia; N=500, Taiwan; N=500, Hong Kong; N=500, Japan; N=500, South Korea; N=500, October 2025. 
2. The Hollywood Reporter, “TV Ratings: World Cup Final Sets Records for Fox, Telemundo,” December 2022. 

Explore the insights

Download the full guide to understand where World Cup audiences will be watching and how to reach them throughout the tournament.

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