Junk food ads flooded 2026 World Cup matches — Report

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, football viewers were bombarded with an estimated 65,722 advertisements for junk food and beverages, according to a study by researchers from the universities of Bristol and Oxford. The advertisements, which appeared for a combined 28.1 hours across all 104 matches, accounted for more than 16% of the total playing time.

Coca-Cola and McDonald's were the most prevalent, with 21,893 and 13,915 appearances respectively. The researchers found that junk food and drink logos were displayed significantly more often than alcohol, gambling, and cryptocurrency brands. This high level of exposure has raised concerns about the normalization of unhealthy food and drink consumption among football fans.

The study, which did not include advertisements during pre-match programmes or hydration breaks, has reignited debates about the impact of food advertising at major international sporting events.