World Cup advertising numbers reflect diversifying sports marketplace

Dive Brief:

Sports brands are increasingly diversifying their advertising media mix, with spending on channels such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook growing 25% year-over-year in Q2 and mobile app spending increasing 116%, according to new research from Sensor Tower.
Advertisers spanning gaming, entertainment and wagering industries spent over half a billion dollars on linear TV between Q3 2025 and Q2 2026, a 2.3% YoY increase. Sports brands spent $3.3 billion across more than 50 markets and 18 channels on digital during the same period, a 26% YoY increase.
Ad impressions grew 11.2% YoY, suggesting investment is going towards higher-cost inventory, per the report. Prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket increased month-over-month digital spending during the tournament by 104% and 286%, respectively.

Dive Insight:

Sensor Tower’s recent report evaluates the evolving sports-related advertising landscape, including the growing role of sports booking brands in the space, the impact the World Cup has had on the industry and larger digital media trends. A key takeaway is the broader industry push to diversity media mixes.

The NBA saw the highest concentration of sports book advertisers at 26% of all ad impressions between the second half of 2025 and the first half of 2026, compared to 13% for the Super Bowl and 15% during the MLB season. March Madness sees a more balanced mix of advertisers, including food and dining (16% of ad impressions), CPG (14%) and financial services (11%), per Sensor Tower’s “Beyond the Game: The Sports Report 2026.”

CPG brands are more likely to advertise during global and broad-reaching sporting events, according to the report. For example, during the World Cup, CPG brands accounted for 37% of ad impressions during the 90 days before the final match, the highest among other sporting categories where CPG brands advertise, including the Super Bowl, World Cup, NBA, March Madness and MLB. March Madness had the second highest share of CPG impressions at 14% and the Super Bowl the third highest at 12%.

The World Cup tournament provided advertisers with the opportunity to reach a broader global audience, with viewership of the final match between Spain and Argentina expected to be in the billions. Brands who weren’t even official tournament sponsors looked to get in on the action and take advantage of the most popular sporting event in the world.

While CPG brands had the largest share of World Cup ad impressions, the international tournament had a healthy mix of advertisers. Media and entertainment accounted for 20% of ad impressions during the tournament, the smallest percentage for the segment out of the five sporting events measured. The NBA led the media and entertainment pack, at 59%, followed by the Super Bowl (46%), MLB (40%) and March Madness (39%). Fox was the only major broadcaster to increase spending in June during the FIFA World Cup.

Despite massive increases in advertising spend from Kalshi and Polymarket, online betting accounted for 2% of ad impressions during the World Cup. Shopping accounted for 14% and food and dining services as well as financial services accounted for just 5% each, per the report.