The report "The Power of the World Cup," prepared by Samsung Ads Mexico together with Offerwise, quantifies what many brands intuit but few measure with precision: the World Cup not only generates audience, it generates a state of attention and willingness to consume that has no equivalent in the annual advertising calendar.
The Samsung Smart TV ecosystem in Mexico reaches more than 41.2 million potential consumers and generates nearly 722 million monthly hours of content consumption across streaming, linear television, and video games. Football accounts for 77% of the time dedicated to sports consumption on these screens. In 2024, more than 2.2 million Smart TVs connected to at least one football match, and the genre also leads among sports video games on Smart TVs.
Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, 85% of fans prefer to watch the tournament from a Smart TV and 93% plan to do so from home. The experience is collective by nature: 95% will watch at least one match accompanied, 57% plan to gather with other people for the matches, and 54% buy food and drinks before the matches. The home becomes the stadium and the big screen the central device for the entire event.
The impact on purchasing decisions is direct. 60% of fans say they will buy a Smart TV or subscribe to a new streaming service or pay television to follow the tournament. The most important matches generate 41% more connected devices and 51% more screen time compared to ordinary matches.
The profile of the World Cup audience is multi-screen and active. During halftime, 62% change channels or apps to follow other matches, and 39% check social media to comment or search for information. After the match, 77% continue consuming other content on television, and 80% continue commenting or celebrating the result. The advertising window does not close with the final whistle.
For brands, the most relevant data from the report is the level of advertising attention: 45% of fans seek more information about products advertised during broadcasts, an indicator of purchase intent that few advertising opportunities can match. Samsung Ads concludes that World Cup matches generate more than double the attention and engagement compared to other sports championships.
For the next+ editorial team, Samsung Ads' data confirms that the World Cup is the event with the highest density of advertising opportunities of the year, but also the most competitive. The combination of massive audience, sustained attention, and active disposition to consume turns each match into premium inventory that sells out quickly. For marketing and media planning teams that are still defining their activation strategy, the time to act has already begun: the tournament started this week, and the most valuable window, the group stage matches with the highest emotional charge, is also the shortest.