World Cup Fans Exposed to Unhealthy Food and Gambling Ads Every 7 Seconds
Did you watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup on television? If so, a new study reveals that you were likely exposed to ads for unhealthy food, alcohol, or gambling approximately every seven seconds.
During the broadcasts of the largest World Cup in history, over 93,000 ads promoting health-harming products were shown. An estimated six billion people followed the tournament through television, streaming services, and social media. Such ads accounted for a total of 39.3 hours of live broadcast time — nearly a quarter of all tournament airtime.
“This is particularly concerning given the substantial body of evidence linking the marketing of unhealthy products, alcohol, and gambling to increased consumption and a wide range of harmful health, social, and financial consequences, especially among children and youth,” said Raffaello Rossi, a co-author of the study from the University of Bristol.
Researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Oxford analyzed all 172.6 hours of live gameplay during 104 matches, using the country’s most powerful supercomputer, Isambard-AI.
Read this article in full and everything else in Telegram, ad-free
Open in TelegramThanks, I just want to finish reading here
On average, viewers were shown nine brand logos associated with health or financial risks for every minute of live gameplay.
What Products Were Advertised Most Frequently?
While all identified ads promoted products that could harm health, the frequency of their appearance during matches varied significantly.
Brands of unhealthy food and drinks accounted for more than seven out of ten appearances on air — a total of 65,722 times. Their logos were visible on screen for 28.1 hours, representing 16.3% of total live gameplay time. Researchers emphasized that this is particularly alarming, as unhealthy eating is one of the leading preventable risk factors for non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.
“The world is facing a global childhood obesity crisis and nutrition-related diseases, yet the largest sporting event on the planet is saturated with ads for unhealthy food and drinks,” said Eliza Becker, a co-author of the study from Oxford.
“Sports should be part of the solution to health issues, not one of the most powerful advertising platforms for products that exacerbate the problem.”
In second place were so-called prediction markets: their logos appeared on air 9,360 times, occupying 8.8 hours of screen time. Following them was alcohol advertising — 9,266 logos and 8.2 hours on screen, as well as gambling, whose brands appeared 6,429 times and occupied 4.2 hours.
While exact global reach data is unavailable, the study analyzed data from 53 broadcasts in the UK. It was found that ads for harmful products generated approximately 267 billion audience contacts.
According to researchers, the results demonstrate that the tournament has become a “powerful platform for promoting products linked to some of the world’s leading preventable causes of disease and other forms of harm.”
