Wed, September 23, 2026
65,000 junk food and drink advertisements shown during 2026 FIFA World Cup
A new AI study conducted by the University of Bristol and Oxford has revealed that logos and products for junk food and drink brands were displayed around 65,722 times in total across the 104 matches that were played during this year’s World Cup, mostly on pitchside advertising boards and around stadiums.
In total, these adverts were visible for just over 16% of the total time that matches were being played. Television viewers across every country broadcasting the matches could see said brands being displayed, and this study did not even include advertisements from pre-match coverage, half-time commercial breaks or those shown during hydration breaks.
Coca-Cola had the highest number (21,893), followed by McDonald's (13,915), Powerade (12,777) and Lay’s crisps (12,087).
Junk food and drink logos were recorded around seven times more often than those for alcohol and prediction market brands, 10 times more often than those of gambling firms, and almost 25 times more often than cryptocurrency, as highlighted by BBC Sport.
It also pointed out that certain junk food and drink have been banned from television advertising before 9pm in the UK, which was implemented in 2025. This was evaded during the World Cup, however, mainly as the adverts appeared on pitchside boards, for example, but were still visible to television viewers.
“Repeatedly connecting unhealthy food and drink brands with football, excitement and national identity can make these brands familiar and normalise their consumption,” as argued by the researchers.
Greg Fell, President of the Association of Directors of Public Health, told BBC Sport: “It requires worldwide collaboration because obesity is a problem everywhere. Advertising is one of the key mechanisms by which harm from obesity happens.”
The University of Bristol’s press release can be found here.
