Home of football statistics and historyThe expansion of the FIFA World Cup to 48 teams is possibly the most notable change in this year’s event. However, for millions of fans across the planet, it’s the improvements in the digital experience that are expected to make this the most interactive and personalised World Cup ever played.
The Availability of Live Streams
While there are still FIFA-approved broadcasters in each country, the 2026 tournament is also giving fans the chance to choose from a variety of streaming options, including YouTube and TikTok. The UK gives a good example of how this works, with the BBC iPlayer and ITVX streaming the matches. Brazil has taken the unusual step of giving rights to all 104 games to the CazéTV YouTube channel.
A similar approach has been taken across the planet, with official streaming services in each country. The 2018 World Cup in Russia was the last World Cup in which traditional TV broadcasts dominated, with over 3.5 billion viewers but fewer than 15% watching via streaming. By the 2022 version in Qatar, digital streaming’s viewer share had jumped, which is a trend that seems set to continue.
The Second Screen Approach
The 2022 World Cup also cemented the habit of watching games across two screens. This popular approach allows fans to look at stats or interact with social media while watching games. It also means that they can watch the games that are being played simultaneously. The FIFA+ service has been developed to provide interactive modules in fan zones to cater for this approach.
Fans might also watch a game while working on another device or seeking alternative types of entertainment. Activities like online bingo are likely to attract players taking a break from the games on their second screen. Live-streamed bingo has human callers leading the way, while virtual games tend to be quicker. The variety of football-themed slots and table games on this site should keep fans occupied while they’re waiting on the next goal to be scored.
The Global Fan Ecosystem
The Qatar tournament also introduced a global fan ecosystem, where creators show their point of view from the games and in the fan zones. This allowed fans at home to feel a closer connection to the event, as they saw what goes on behind the scenes and how visitors from different countries interacted with each other.
Expect to see this trend continue to grow, as we see the perspective of fans rather than only hearing from traditional journalists. Stay-at-home supporters can piece together the World Cup from these different sources to get a more complete picture of the event than was ever possible. While we rely on retrospective documentaries to discover fascinating stories like the group of Wolves fans who went to Mexico in 1986 and never came home, we’ll be able to see the most interesting parts of the 2026 event as they occur.
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