More than 40 percent of Americans say they do not know where they will be able to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup online, according to new research from subscription bundling platform Bango.
The survey of 2,500 Americans found 41 percent of respondents were unsure where World Cup matches will be available. Bango said the results point to growing confusion among viewers as sports rights are split across broadcast networks, streaming services and subscription platforms.
The tournament is expected to drive new sign-ups to streaming services that carry World Cup games, with 18 percent of Americans say they plan to take on a new streaming service to follow the action — that is, if they can find which services offer the games.
Among self-described sports fans, 23 percent said they plan to add a new subscription for the tournament. The figure rises to 46 percent among Americans who already subscribe to a sports streaming service.
Younger viewers were more likely to say they would add a subscription for the tournament. Thirty-six percent of Gen Z respondents and 37 percent of Millennials said they expect to sign up for a new service to watch World Cup coverage.
Bango also found interest in a simpler way to watch the matches: Eighteen percent of Americans said they would pay extra for a single subscription that included every World Cup match in one place. Among sports fans, 23 percent said they would pay more for that type of package.
“The World Cup only comes around once every four years, yet millions of Americans are still unsure where they’ll be able to watch it,” said Bango’s Executive Vice President of Marketing Giles Tongue. “That highlights just how much the sports viewing landscape has changed.”
Tongue said fans increasingly have to search across multiple services to find games, including NFL games that are spread across broadcast television and several streaming platforms.
“Even an event as globally recognized as the World Cup isn’t immune to the confusion caused by that fragmentation,” Tongue noted.
The findings come as sports rights continue moving across a wider range of media companies and platforms. For media companies, sports like the World Cup tournament is an inviting way to draw new subscribers to a streaming service — but for viewers, it often means having to navigate a tangled web of services that adds to the confusion of where to watch certain games.
“The fact that so many Americans remain unsure where they’ll watch the tournament shows that convenience and simplicity are becoming just as important as the content itself in today’s streaming market,” Tongue said.
Some companies are working to address that confusion. Notably, Roku announced earlier this month it is rolling out a new Sports Zone portal on its smart TVs and streaming sticks that will point soccer fans to the apps where World Cup games are offered. The company also launched a dedicated bundle that pairs one of its streaming sticks with 30 days of access to Fox One for $25. Fox One, on its own, costs $20 per month.
Comcast is also making efforts in that space, telling Xfinity TV subscribers they can watch all World Cup matches in ultra high-definition and with multi-view perks on their X1 set-top boxes.
Tongue will be one of several presenters at the StreamTV Show in Denver next week. The Desk is an editorial partner of the event. Readers of The Desk can score 10 percent off a conference pass by using the promo code DESK10 at check-out.
