In 2026, for the first time ever, the World Cup will be spread over three countries. Sixteen cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico will host matches, giving brands and advertisers a chance to expand their reach and build connections with growing football fan bases across North America—if they know where to look.
The tide of popularity is turning for football in North America, to the benefit of sponsors and advertisers. Since 2015, the U.S. has added 10 clubs to the MLS, while Canada founded the Canadian Premier League in 2017 with eight current teams and Mexico’s Liga MX boasts some of the largest crowds of any North American league1.
This new popularity is creating hotspots of football fan bases across future host countries. In Canada, for instance, interest in football in general has increased 32.8% since the announcement that the country will host 10 2026 World Cup matches2. And according to Nielsen Scarborough, in the U.S. Houston is the 2026 World Cup host city with the most football fans per capita, followed by Los Angeles and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale.
[infogram id=”425ccb13-bf85-4c96-a0cd-76c377767aed” prefix=”0px” format=”interactive” title=”WC 2025 host cities”]
ワールドカップの開催都市にはサッカークラブがあるため、こうした地域にファンが集中するのは理にかなっている。しかし、重要なのは、地元チームの人気が周辺地域にも広がり、地域のチームや選手と提携する広告主の影響範囲が拡大することだ。
[infogram id=”5b9df96d-c9d1-4bca-9247-447764611cad” prefix=”aMc” format=”interactive” title=”WC 2026 peripheral cities”]
To reach these fans, advertisers are using social media sites like Twitter, TikTok and Twitch. According to Nielsen’s 2022 World Football Report, while free-to-air television is still the preferred method of viewing matches (81%) for football fans who watch sports, social media is now a go-to platform, with 72% of fans claiming they use apps to watch the action.
And when their teams do well, fans flock to social media to follow and like and engage with content. The Canadian men’s team, for example, saw a significant increase in social media content & interactions in the 2021/2022 season after qualifying for their first World Cup in 36 years. The women’s national team saw a similar increase in social media engagement when they won gold in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
[infogram id=”b8c7ef89-e445-468b-8384-5a2fbe209052″ prefix=”A6l” format=”interactive” title=”Canadian football social media interest”]
ニールセン・ファンインサイトによると、この予選突破はカナダ人全体にサッカーへの関心を喚起し、35.6％が「代表チームがワールドカップ出場を決める前よりもサッカー観戦に興味を持つようになった」と回答している。
National team football fans in each host country prefer YouTube for sports news and content. While Twitch is among the lowest used by percentage, fans over index significantly on its use compared to the general population. To further expand its reach for the 2022 World Cup, Twitch is adding a live streaming component to their coverage for the first time, granting Brazilian Twitch influencer Casimiro Miguel the rights to stream matches to his millions of followers.
[infogram id=”c2eff741-1731-41fa-bb3d-67b6c07572cd” prefix=”Mkv” format=”interactive” title=”World Cup fan social media platform use”]
In addition to the notable on-screen audience exposure that sponsors receive on both live TV and social media, Nielsen’s 2021 Trust in Advertising study found that brand sponsorships in sporting events rank just behind recommendations from friends and family, as 81% of consumers reported either completely or somewhat trusting them (vs. 89% who trust recommendations). Football fans are also eager to learn more about the brands sponsoring their favorite team—56% of percent actively inform themselves about brands engaged as a sports sponsor.
But football sponsorships are more than an opportunity to increase brand awareness—they can be the key to staying top of mind with fans when it comes time to make a purchase. According to Nielsen Fan Insights, 67% of football fans think brands are more appealing when they participate in sports sponsorships, and 59% would pick a sponsor’s product over a competitor’s if price and quality are the same, compared to 45% of the general population. And Nielsen’s 2022 Global Sports Report found that the sponsorships drove an average 10% lift in purchase intent among the exposed fanbase.
2022年ワールドカップが初戦を迎えるにあたり、勝者と敗者はフィールド内外で決定され、広告主はスポンサーシップのコストとブランド認知度や収益への影響を集計することになる。2026年ワールドカップで先手を打ち、北米に早期に進出したいブランドは、2022年の勢いに乗り、今日のファンを明日の顧客に変えることができるキャンペーンのために、今すぐプランニング 。
備考
- 北中米カリブ海サッカー連盟
- ニールセン・ファン・インサイト、2022年8月
