Horowitz says 2026 World Cup reset the playbook for multicultural sports viewing

Horowitz Research says the 2026 FIFA World Cup showed how Spanish-language audiences, streaming, and shared viewing are reshaping live sports engagement in the U.S. The firm points to nearly 63 million Americans watching the final, plus strong multicultural and digital momentum, as a signal for advertisers and media companies heading into the next global soccer cycle.

Why it matters: - The 2026 FIFA World Cup showed that multicultural audiences and digital platforms are now central to live sports reach in the U.S. - Horowitz Research says the tournament created a new model for how major events should be distributed, marketed, and monetized across broadcast, streaming, mobile, and social. - The engagement pattern matters for advertisers because live, shared, high-attention sports environments still deliver premium brand impact.

What happened: - Reuters reported nearly 63 million Americans watched the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. - Fox drew 38.9 million viewers for the English-language telecast. - Telemundo drew 23.9 million viewers for the Spanish-language telecast. - Telemundo and Peacock reported Spanish-language streaming engagement in the U.S. during the tournament. - Group-stage digital average minute audience on Telemundo and Peacock rose 251% versus the 2022 tournament. - Horowitz Research said the tournament confirmed pre-event expectations that fans would follow the World Cup across languages, platforms, households, public spaces, and social channels.

The details: - Horowitz Research’s pre-tournament study, State of Media, Entertainment, and Tech: Viewing Behaviors, found 54% of Latinx consumers intended to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup. - That compared with 42% in the total market. - Horowitz said the scale of Spanish-language viewing shows how deeply soccer is tied to cultural identity and community connection for Hispanic audiences in the U.S. - Horowitz said streaming became a primary live-sports platform during the tournament as fans moved between television and streaming based on context and convenience. - The company’s research found a majority of prospective viewers expected to stream matches live and use multiple devices beyond the TV. - Fans watched at home, in public venues, and online before, during, and after matches. - Social media, second-screen use, and shared viewing were core parts of the viewing experience. - Horowitz said large shares of viewers planned to watch with friends and family, attend viewing events, and engage with World Cup content across social platforms. - The tournament’s fan behavior connected across geographies, cultures, and generations. - Adriana Waterston, executive vice president and insights and strategy lead at Horowitz Research, said the company has been tracking these trends for years. - Waterston said the World Cup is where culture, community, and media converge. - Waterston said Horowitz Research focuses on helping media brands and their advertisers and sponsors maximize engagement among Hispanic audiences, multicultural audiences, and the broader sports audience. - Horowitz said the 2026 World Cup reinforced the value of live, multicultural sports environments for advertisers. - Horowitz said high attention, emotional investment, and cross-platform engagement create unusually strong conditions for brand impact. - Horowitz said interest in global soccer should continue into future events, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027. - The company said the future of sports lies at the intersection of diversity, technology, and cultural connection. - Waterston said the 2026 playbook has changed and that audiences driving growth are diverse, platforms are fluid, and the experience is shared. - Waterston said organizations that understand that reality will be best positioned in the next era of global sports. - Horowitz Research said its study was conducted independently and was not commissioned by, conducted for, endorsed by, or affiliated with FIFA or the FIFA World Cup. - Horowitz Research said the study is part of its broader work helping content providers identify programming and advertising opportunities and optimize go-to-market strategies. - The company said it also offers syndicated studies on how the media industry is evolving. - More information is available at the company's website.

Between the lines: - The biggest shift is not just audience size, but audience behavior. - The tournament’s growth came from multilingual reach, streaming access, and social sharing working together instead of competing. - That suggests sports rights holders and advertisers need coordinated strategies, not single-platform campaigns. - Horowitz is positioning the World Cup as evidence that multicultural audiences are not a niche add-on; they are a growth engine.

What's next: - Horowitz said momentum from the 2026 FIFA World Cup is already extending toward the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027. - Media companies and brands are likely to use the 2026 tournament as a template for future global sports coverage and sponsorship planning. - The next test will be whether broadcasters and streamers can replicate this kind of cross-platform engagement in other major live events. - Horowitz said the next winners in sports media will be the organizations that embrace diversity, technology, and shared cultural experiences.