The 2026 FIFA World Cup is shaping up to be less of a single broadcast event and more of a sprawling, multi-platform media ecosystem — at least in Brazil.
According to a Kantar survey, 77% of Brazilians plan to watch the tournament, which will be hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. But how they watch is just as telling as the fact that they will.
Free-to-air television remains the dominant viewing platform, with 73% of respondents favoring it. That preference reflects both tradition and accessibility, especially in a country where broadcast TV has long been the primary gateway to major sporting events.
However, the broader media landscape tells a more complex story.
Streaming platforms are steadily gaining ground, with 31% of fans planning to use digital services, while 39% will rely on pay TV. Social media also plays a significant role, with 23% of respondents using platforms for match consumption or highlights, and even radio — often overlooked in modern media discussions — still holds relevance for 4% of viewers, particularly in mobile or rural contexts.
This fragmentation highlights a key shift: the World Cup is no longer tied to a single screen. It is now an event experienced across multiple touchpoints, each serving a different audience segment.
And consumption doesn’t stop at watching.
The Kantar data suggests that the World Cup is also becoming a major moment for sports betting engagement. 37% of Brazilians plan to place bets during the tournament, with the most popular markets including match outcomes (51%), total goals (26%), and outright tournament winners (18%).
This growing intersection between live sport and wagering reflects a broader trend across global football, where betting has become an integrated part of the fan experience — particularly during major international tournaments.
For brands, the implications are significant.
Kantar’s analysis highlights the importance of emotional connection and digital engagement, especially with younger audiences. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar offered a key lesson: campaigns that focused too heavily on the tournament itself, rather than brand identity, often struggled to stand out.
The challenge for 2026 is different.
With an expanded 48-team format and a broader geographic footprint, the tournament will reach more audiences than ever before. But that scale also increases competition for attention.
To succeed, brands will need to go beyond visibility and focus on interaction — leveraging tools like real-time engagement, interactive content, and digital experiences to connect with fans.
The data also underscores the growing importance of content consumption beyond the matches themselves. Fans are actively seeking news (68%), memes and social content (50%), highlight videos (38%), and statistics (32%) — signaling a shift toward a more layered and continuous engagement model.
In this environment, the World Cup is no longer just a tournament.
It is a media platform, a betting event, and a digital ecosystem — all at once.
And in Brazil, one of football’s most passionate markets, that evolution is already underway.