How iGaming Search Interest Changed During the 2026 World Cup

Blask and Ace Alliance’s research shows that the 2026 FIFA World Cup did not lead to a uniform increase in demand for iGaming products internationally. In most of the fastest-evolving markets, national teams did not participate in the football tournament at all.

In total, 8/10 countries with the highest Blask Index growth had no sports representation at this year’s competition. Meanwhile, the metric in comparable jurisdictions rose by only 1.8% worldwide. These results indicate a redistribution of search interest between states rather than a global expansion.

Casino Market assessed where iGaming demand increased most during the famous event and whether national team performance drove the surge. Our managers can consult you on launching top-demand gambling projects.

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Central Takeaways from the Industry Report

The global analysis revealed the following information:

1. The largest percentage jumps were recorded in jurisdictions not represented at the World Cup. Iceland, Costa Rica, and Jamaica rounded out the top 3.
2. Peru was the only major GEO among the 5 countries with the highest rise. It also showed the greatest absolute change in the Blask Index.
3. National team performance was not a universal driver of demand growth. Some squads that exited the tournament in the group stage or the 1st round of the playoffs demonstrated more impressive results than those competing later in the contest.
4. The patterns also varied across the 3 host countries. Canada, Mexico, and the US were eliminated in the Round of 16, but afterwards, each followed a unique trajectory of change.

Comparison Methodology: Research Basis

Blask matched the data for the entire 39-day World Cup period, from June 11th to July 19th, 2026, to a similarly long period before it, from May 3rd to June 10th. Its Index reflects the aggregate internet-based demand for iGaming in individual countries. Irrelevant queries and searches with negative intent are excluded from the calculation. After the initial filtering, the remaining data is normalised.

The study spans only the geographic regions available to the analytical agency. Therefore, the delivered insights do not cover all 48 World Cup participants. For instance, the report included England and Scotland as part of a single geographic region, the UK.

The following states were not presented in the database:

• Iran;
• Iraq;
• Curaçao;
• Uzbekistan;
• Cape Verde.

The study continues the previous iGaming analysis during past-years World Cups by the 2 research agencies. Its results found no consistent relationship between national team performance and changes in online gambling demand during the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

Blask Index Growth: Highest Percentages

Non-qualifiers demonstrated the greatest relative surge:

1. Iceland — +294.8%.
2. Costa Rica — +172.9%.
3. Jamaica — +143%.
4. Bolivia — +106.6%.

Peru also delivered exceptional results, +95.8%. Not only was the country among the top 5 in the category, but it also showed the highest absolute index rise among all markets studied. Meanwhile, Chile showed positive dynamics of +74.2%, placing it 9th, which generally reflects Latin American states’ increased interest in the tournament.

The presence of regional countries among the frontrunners is particularly noticeable. It proves that demand for the World Cup extended far beyond the states whose national teams were directly participating. This trend is consistent with an earlier study by the 2 research platforms on LatAm iGaming. It revealed that Peru and Chile showed significant interest in non-qualifiers.

Of the tournament’s direct participants, only Panama (+84.7%; 6th) and Japan (+82.6%; 7th) made it into the top 10. The former finished in the group stage, while the latter reached the round of 32, losing 2–1 to Brazilian sportsmen on June 29th in Houston. Therefore, a team’s length of involvement alone does not explain search demand dynamics.

Absolute-Gain Leaders: Major Markets

The picture changes when considering the number of points added instead of the percentage shift. Of the 10 frontrunners, only 3 participated in the World Cup. In this category, Peru retained 1st place (+31.7 million), while Germany became the leader among contest-involved nations (+10 million).

The top 10 also included:

• Vietnam — +8.8 million;
• Argentina — +7.9 million;
• Chile — +7.3 million;
• Indonesia — +6.2 million;
• Ecuador — +4.4 million, etc.

Iceland and Costa Rica drop out of the ranking when moving from percentage to absolute growth. The reason lies in the different initial volumes: even a significant relative surge in a small market can generate fewer new search queries than a moderate increase in a large jurisdiction.

Therefore, these 2 values let industry representatives explore the situation from different perspectives. The percentage change shows where interest rose most from the previous period, while the absolute gain indicates where additional user activity evolved dramatically.

National Team Performances: Impact on Demand

Excluding countries that did not participate in the World Cup, the leaders in Blask Index growth were predominantly mid-sized markets. For instance, Paraguay showed significant positive momentum (+59.6%; 3rd) and reached the Round of 16.

In the previous stage, the team eliminated Germany (+52.7%; 6th) on penalties, before losing 1–0 to France. Nevertheless, DFB-Elf showed the largest absolute surge among participants, despite a rather early defeat.

Elimination at the group stage also did not hinder elevating interest:

1. South Korea (+57.2%; 4th) and Uruguay (+53.5%; 5th) left before the playoffs, yet both finished in the top 5 for percentage change.
2. Norway (+23.6%; 9th) and Switzerland (+20.3%; 10th), by contrast, reached the quarterfinals. The former also defeated Brazil 2–1 in the Round of 16. Despite strong performances, both finished behind several nations whose teams exited much earlier.
3. Spain, the 2026 World Cup winner, had the Index only at +14.3%, while finalist Argentina reached +18.6%. In Brazil, the largest market among those Blask-tracked, the figure remained virtually unchanged, with a slight decline of 0.5%.

Sporting results may have influenced iGaming interest. Nevertheless, they alone do not explain or drive the overall picture.

Host Countries: Dramatically Different Paths

Tournament-co-staging nations reached the Round of 16 and finished within 3 days:

• Canada lost to Morocco on July 4th.
• Mexico played against England on July 5th.
• The US exited after a match with Belgium on July 6th.

Overall, the Blask Index across the 3 GEOs remained relatively close throughout the competition. Nevertheless, after their teams were eliminated, the differences became much more pronounced.

Additionally, the hosts entered the contest with diverse initial conditions. Previous studies have documented a decline in demand for iGaming across America in H1 2026 and a persistent focus on offshore products among Canada’s provinces. These factors help explain differences in long-term dynamics.

After the elimination of national teams, the jurisdictions demonstrated 3 diverse scenarios:

1. United States. Interest rose alongside their squad’s performance, then declined further after its loss.
2. Mexico. A significant portion of the competition momentum continued even after the sportsmen’s exit.
3. Canada. Demand proceeded to grow after CANMNT’s participation ended and remained high until mid-July.

A comparison with the May–June period confirms differences: during the World Cup, Mexico and Canada’s figures were higher than their baseline levels, while the American market declined. Thus, the same tournament produced 3 distinct patterns of gambling audience behaviour after the national teams’ eliminations.

The Main Things About FIFA-Led Demand for iGaming

The 2 research agencies’ study shows that this year’s World Cup did not generate a uniform boost in global digital gambling interest. Results varied significantly across GEOs and, in many cases, were not directly related to the participation or success of national teams.

An analysis of industry activity reveals several key findings:

• Countries without their squads at the tournament led in percentage growth. Iceland, Costa Rica, and Jamaica showed the biggest surge in the category, while 8/10 GEOs with the highest results were not directly involved in the tournament.
• Peru emerged as a remarkable leader in both segments. The country ranked 5th among the top 10 in percentage growth and had the largest point-based jump, ending up 1st. Meanwhile, Germany stood out among the major markets.
• National team performance was not a universal driver of demand. Early exits did not hinder rises, while successful progression through the contest did not guarantee similar results. This aspect was especially noticeable in the example of 3 host countries, Canada, Mexico, and the US, where the situation developed differently after their sportsmen were eliminated.

Overall, the data points more to a redistribution of the gambling community’s interest between markets than to a large-scale global expansion of demand. In comparable jurisdictions, worldwide attention shifted by only +1.8%.

Our specialists offer full-cycle project development to launch and scale competitive iGaming platforms across various entertainment verticals. Feel free to contact us for more information or to place an order for advanced business solutions.

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Aaron Shaw Editor

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