Viewers are split between 37% who say 2026 tournament is worse than previous years, and 41% who see it as about the same as prior incarnations

Key takeaways

  • 37% of Britons watching a great deal or fair amount of the World Cup
  • These viewers are split between whether the tournament is worse (37%) or no different (41%) to previous years
  • Most are negative about hydration breaks (66%) and the planned final half-time show (55%)
  • Views are predominantly positive or neutral towards the expanded 48 team competition (69%)
  • 60% agree with BBC/ITV decision not to broadcast the half-time show
  • Only 19% of England World Cup watchers now think England can realistically make the final, down from 33% pre-tournament

More than three weeks into the 2026 World Cup tournament, with the contest shortly to enter its round of 16, a new YouGov survey examines attitudes to the competition so far.

Our results find that one in three Britons (37%) say they have watched a “great deal” or “fair amount” of the World Cup so far, with only a third (33%) saying they haven’t watched any of it at all.

A multitude of changes have been made to the tournament rules and format for this year’s World Cup, many of which have been criticised by pundits. But how are they being received by viewers?

Among those Britons who are watching a great deal or fair amount of the World Cup, opinion is split between 37% who think this year’s tournament is worse than those from previous years, and the 41% who see the joint US-Canada-Mexico affair as being about the same as prior incarnations.

Only 17% of World Cup watchers think the 2026 tournament is better than older examples.

Among those who have watched “a great deal” of the tournament, the balance tips a bit further away from the negative, with only 30% of this group feeling it has been worse, versus 43% saying about the same and 23% thinking it is better.

World Cup watchers disapprove of hydration breaks, but tend to be positive about the decision to increase to 48 teams

We also questioned World Cup watchers on more specific changes to the rules and format.

Overall, the reaction to expanding the tournament to 48 teams tends to be positive, with 47% feeling this way, versus 22% who are neutral and 26% who are negative.

This expansion has necessitated a new system for determining which teams make it out of the group stages. This has been less well-received, although the reaction is still not as unfavourable as might have been expected, with 32% positive, 33% neutral and only 23% negative.

By contrast, the viewing public have overwhelmingly reacted negatively to “hydration breaks”. Fully two thirds (66%) disapprove of them, including as many as 43% who are “very negative” about them. Only 21% take a positive view, and 12% a neutral stance.

Likewise, the instituting of a half-time show during the final has bothered 55% of viewers in advance, compared to 24% who are neutral and 16% positive.

Both the BBC and ITV have said that they will not be broadcasting the half-time show, instead opting to feature commentators’ analysis of the first half of the final. World Cup viewers back this decision by more than two to one, with 60% saying they should broadcast the analysis versus only 28% who say they should air the half-time show.

World Cup watchers back time-wasting and VAR changes

Those rule changes that we asked about are welcomed by the majority of World Cup watchers.

This includes 78% who approve of referees now having the ability to start a 5 second countdown if players are taking too long with throw-ins or goal kicks, 70% backing requiring substituted players to leave the pitch within 10 seconds, and 60% for requiring players to stay off the pitch for one minute if they have to be treated by physios during stoppages (with some exceptions).

There have also been developments in terms of the video assistant referee (VAR), which have also been met with positivity.

Three quarters (77%) approve of allowing VAR reviews for red or yellow cards for fouls that have been mistakenly given to the wrong player, 73% support VAR reviews for mistakenly issued second yellow cards, and 54% agree with allowing VAR reviews for the awarding of corner kicks.

It’s coming home?

Prior to the tournament beginning, one in five (22%) of adults in England who expected to watch a great deal or fair amount of the World Cup felt that England had a realistic chance of winning the tournament, rising to 33% if we include those who feel they could at least make the final.

Three weeks in and the number who think England could win has fallen to 13%, and to 19% for all those who still believe they could make the top two.

The number who think England’s best realistic outcome is to reach the semis has remained largely unchanged (33% before vs 31% now). Instead, fans are now more likely to think that England’s can probably only make it as far as the quarter finals (32%, up from 21%), while 12% think they are unlikely to progress past the round of 16 (up from 4%).

See the full results here

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Photo: Getty

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