FIFA World Cup reshaped global internet traffic as fans altered online behaviour, data shows

FIFA World Cup reshaped global internet traffic as fans altered online behaviour, data shows reports how the 2026 FIFA World Cup changed internet usage patterns by country, according to Cloudflare. The analysis looked at traffic trends during June and July 2026, finding that local kickoff times influenced spikes in activity. Matches played between midnight and 8 a.m. local time typically produced the largest increases as viewers logged on earlier or stayed awake. Evening fixtures brought smaller deviations, including an example in Bosnia and Herzegovina where traffic rose to more than twice normal for a 2 a.m. kickoff, but fell to about 70% during an evening match. The report also compared Brazil’s Round of 32 match vs Japan, noting higher-than-normal activity in Japan due to overnight timing and lower-than-baseline traffic in Brazil during daytime. For global impact, Argentina’s July 11 quarterfinal vs Switzerland led with a traffic impact factor of about 1.26, ahead of France-Spain at 1.21, excluding simultaneous group games.