World Cup 2026: What Britons think of 48 teams, late kick-offs and more

What the public (and football fans) think about 48 teams, late kick-offs, and the club-vs-country debate ahead of the 2026 tournament.

With six months to go until the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, the tournament is already generating heated discussion. So far, YouGov has asked the public about the competition’s ticketing policy, its three-host format, and England’s qualification, among other things.

This summer's World Cup is, however, distinctive for a few reasons. We asked Britons (and football fans) what they make of the new 48-team format; whether they intend to stay up for late-night broadcasts; and their levels of excitement for the 2026 tournament compared to the 2022 contest in Qatar. Here's what they said.

Public enthusiasm for World Cup 2026

Some three in ten members of the public say they are excited for the 2026 World Cup (31%), with two-thirds (67%) unenthused. Unsurprisingly, interest rises among football fans (65% vs. 34%).

But how does it compare to the 2022 World Cup? One in five members of the public say they are more excited for this year’s tournament than they were for Qatar (19%), rising to a third of football fans (35%). Around a quarter of the public (23%) and a fifth of football fans (21%) say their level of enthusiasm is lower than it was for the last World Cup. Some 54% of the former, and 44% of the latter, say their excitement is around the same as it was in 2022.

It would be hard to say that anticipation for the 2026 tournament is overwhelming among the general public, but fan interest is healthy. Will more casual viewers catch World Cup fever once the tournament is underway? Whatever the answer, there’ll be opportunity to win them over:  two-thirds of Britons still plan to watch at least some of this summer’s competition (64%).

How Britain plans to follow the 2026 World Cup 

Among Britons who plan to watch the World Cup this year, more than half (55%) intend to watch games during their original live broadcast at home. 

A third (36%) plan to catch up via television highlights, while a quarter will watch from a pub/bar (27%) or a friend/family member’s home. One in five say they’ll keep up to date via social media (21%), and one in six will stream matches from their laptop, tablet, or smartphone (the same proportion – 16% - say they will catch up on highlights via online news articles).

Just one in ten (9%) plan to listen to the 2026 World Cup on the radio.

Will late kick-offs put Britons off watching live World Cup games?

Beyond format, kick-off times are one factor that may influence how Britain follows the World Cup. In the group stage alone, Scotland will begin the tournament with a 2am BST kick-off – a bank holiday has been planned for the day after – followed by two 11pm games. England will have two 9pm kick-offs, with the final game taking place at 10pm. In some other groups, games won’t begin until 5am BST.

Britons, for their part, don’t plan to stay up late for the 2026 World Cup. While three in five people who intend to follow the competition (61%) say they would watch a 9pm kick-off, just 45% would watch a game beginning at 10pm. A quarter (26%) say the same of an 11pm fixture, while 14% would watch a game beginning at midnight.

It declines further from there until 5am – at which point it’s perhaps more a question of getting up early than staying up late – when 12% say they would watch a game that kicked off at this time.

What do the public think of the new 48-team format for World Cup 2026? 

One of the more contentious moves in designing the 2026 World Cup was the expanded format: from 32 teams in previous competitions to 48 teams for this summer’s event. Critics have argued that the move was unnecessary, while proponents have said that it will help globalise the beautiful game.

As far as the public are concerned:  a fifth are in favour (22%) and nearly as many are opposed (18%). But half say they neither approve nor disapprove of the decision (49%) and one in nine aren’t sure (11%) either way. Football fans are substantially more likely to support the expanded 48-team format, although they’re also more likely to oppose it (36% vs. 33%).

Methodology

YouGov Surveys provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online on 11-13 January 2026, with a nationally representative sample of 2,008 adults (aged 18+ years) in Great Britain, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, gender, education, region and social grade to be representative of all adults in Great Britain (18 years or older) and reflect the latest ONS population estimates.

Image: Getty