The FIFA World Cup is still seven months away but any business with a stake in the game, and with common sense, will already be undertaking extensive preparations.

Spotlight Sports Group, a UK-based betting media outlet most known for its ownership of the Racing Post, has been taking a look at consumer anticipation of the tournament – and unsurprisingly it looks like it’s going to be big.

A report published by the firm this morning predicts that ‘excitement is high’ ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be the tournament’s largest ever format with 48 teams playing 104 matches across a 39 day schedule, hosted across the US, Canada and Mexico.

The company’s study found that 96% of surveyed respondents stated they were planning to watch the tournament. Engagement will be felt across regions, with 91% of Latin American respondents excited for the competition, followed by 73% in the UK and 61% in the US.

With Brazil having become a huge betting market this year while other Latin American nations continue to show great prospects, bookmakers may be particularly wise to keep the first of these figures in mind.

Also, US anticipation of the tournament could be a big opportunity for smaller-to-mid sized firms to win some customers against the dominance of DraftKings and FanDuel. SSG found that 66% of ‘planned bettors’ will be wagering on the World Cup for the first time, with this figure rising to 90% in the US.

Mark Langdon, Group Sports Director at Spotlight Sports Group, said: “The data shows that the 2026 World Cup will bring a huge wave of new and inexperienced bettors into the market.”

Getting ready for the big one

So, how can companies prepare? Marketing budgets are going to be strained next year, particularly in European markets like the UK, France and the Netherlands as a result of greater tax burdens.

SSG believes that bettor education will be vital next year. The firm’s report found that 50% of football fans enter the World Cup with ‘limited knowledge’ of how betting works. Respondents gave positive viewpoints of expert analysis (73%), pundit reviews (55%) and in-depth match previews (55%).

For the US specifically, 46% of US football fans said that they favoured easy, understandable odds. Based on this, Spotlight believes that personalisation and social influence will shape how bettors engage with next year’s World Cup.

“Operators that deliver simple onboarding, strong pre-match insight and personalised content will be best positioned to capture and engage this audience,” said Langdon.