FIFA World Cup 2026 Broadcasts Contained 9 Ads Per Minute for Harmful Products

Research Scope and Methodology

The University of Bristol, in collaboration with the University of Oxford, conducted the first study to examine harmful commodity branding across an entire FIFA World Cup. Researchers used the UK’s Isambard-AI supercomputer to analyze 172.6 hours of live play from the tournament's 104 matches. The analysis focused on advertising embedded within the match footage, such as on hoardings, rather than traditional commercial breaks.

Scale of Exposure

FIFA reported nearly six billion people engaged with the tournament. For the UK, researchers estimated that harmful product advertising generated 267 billion impressions across 53 broadcasts with available audience data. Branding was present in every match and visible for 39.3 hours of live play, representing almost a quarter of all live action, making it unavoidable for viewers.

Dominance of Harmful Products

Unhealthy food and drink brands constituted over 70% of all detected branding. Other categories included prediction markets (9,360 appearances), alcohol (9,266), gambling (6,429), and cryptocurrency (2,632). Exposure was concentrated among a few global brands, with a soft drink, a fast-food chain, a sports drink, and a crisps brand collectively responsible for 65% of all recorded harmful commodity logos.

Implications for Viewers

Dr. Raffaello Rossi, co-author of the study, stated that the FIFA World Cup provided an unparalleled advertising platform due to its global reach. The findings highlight the omnipresent and unavoidable nature of exposure to unhealthy food, alcohol, and gambling brands during broadcasts. This is particularly concerning given the established links between marketing for these products and increased consumption, as well as associated health and social issues.