A new LoopMe survey finds just 30% of Americans plan to watch the 2026 World Cup — but those who do are highly engaged and more likely to notice and remember sponsor ads.
Less than a third of American consumers plan to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to new survey data from advertising technology company LoopMe — but among those who do, engagement with advertising around the tournament is unusually high, suggesting that the event’s value to marketers may lie in audience quality rather than scale.
The survey of 4,413 United States consumers, conducted in November 2025, found that just 30% plan to watch World Cup content this year. Yet nearly three-quarters of all respondents said they expect to notice World Cup advertisements regardless of whether they plan to watch — a disconnect that points to the tournament’s broader cultural footprint beyond its direct viewership.
Among the 32% of respondents who said they are more excited about this year’s tournament than the previous one held in Qatar in 2022, the likelihood of noticing sponsor advertising rises to 60%, compared with 52% across all respondents. Those planning to watch via mobile apps reported the highest level of excitement of any viewing group, with 36% saying they are more engaged this year than last.
Intent to watch peaks among the 35-to-44 age group, at 37%. Live television remains the most popular channel for watching matches, cited by 35% of likely viewers, but viewing is spread across platforms: streaming services account for 18%, social media for 12% and mobile apps for 11%.
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“The data highlights a small but dedicated pool of American viewers, emphasizing the value of highly tailored and timely campaigns,” said Dan Sicular, senior manager of insight and analytics at LoopMe. “As consumers increasingly gravitate toward the communities and interests most aligned with them, truly understanding the most engaged audiences — and responding to their needs — grows in importance, even for huge international events like this.”
For advertisers, the findings suggest that reaching World Cup viewers will require a cross-platform strategy rather than a live television buy alone, and that campaign creative aligned specifically with the tournament is likely to perform better among the high-intent, high-excitement segment than broadly targeted messaging.
