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65,000 Junk Food Ads Flooded World Cup Broadcasts
A new study reveals that football fans were exposed to over 65,000 advertisements for high-fat, salt, and sugar products during the live broadcasts of the 2026 World Cup.
The research team from the University of Bristol and Oxford analyzed the international television feed for all 104 matches of the expanded tournament using a specialized artificial intelligence tool.
The data showed that logos and products for brands categorized as high in fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS) by United Kingdom government standards were displayed a total of 65,722 times during the month-long competition.
Coca-Cola was the most prominent advertiser, with its branding appearing 21,893 times during live play, followed by McDonald's with 13,915 visible appearances.