FIFA World Cup 2026 Viewing Intention Survey / Approximately half of the population intends to watch the World Cup. The most common reason is 'because the Japan national team is playing.' Approximately 30% of the population may attend J-League matches after the event.
Loyalty Marketing, Inc. announced the results of a survey on awareness regarding the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Approximately half of the respondents intend to watch the World Cup, primarily because "the Japan national team is playing." Furthermore, about 30% of the population shows interest in attending J-League matches after the World Cup.
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- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 23:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 11, 2026 at 14:31
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Loyalty Marketing, Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Katsunori Fumihiko; hereinafter "LM"), which operates the common point service "Ponta," reports the results of the "FIFA World Cup 2026 Awareness Survey" (conducted from March 5 to March 6, 2026) targeting 1,000 people aged 20-69.
【Survey Results】
・TOPICS①
Approximately half of the population will watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Approximately 30% plan to watch "Japan national team matches."
・TOPICS②
The most common reason for watching is "because the Japan national team is playing," at approximately 50%. Approximately 80% will watch "at home."
・TOPICS③
Approximately 60% of the population does not usually watch or care about soccer.
・TOPICS④
"TV programs" are the top source of sports information at 38.1%.
・TOPICS⑤
Approximately 30% of the population may attend J-League matches after the World Cup.
【Detailed Survey Results】
TOPICS①
Approximately half of the population will watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Approximately 30% plan to watch "Japan national team matches."
When asked about their viewing intentions for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, "probably won't watch" was the most common response at 48.7%. Excluding those who "probably won't watch," 51.3% responded that they intend to watch in some form. "Plan to watch Japan national team matches" was 28.5%, and "plan to watch matches other than Japan national team" was 12.8%. Additionally, 10.7% said they would "watch if it becomes a hot topic," indicating a segment whose viewing intention increases depending on the situation.
▼This year's World Cup viewing intention *Multiple answers (n=1,000) (%)
TOPICS②
The most common reason for watching is "because the Japan national team is playing," at approximately 50%. Approximately 80% will watch "at home."
The most common reason for watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup was "because the Japan national team is playing" at 50.1%. Other reasons such as "because it's generally exciting" (25.1%) and "to keep up with the conversation" (12.5%) suggest that the atmosphere and topicality of the tournament are driving factors for viewing.
Regarding viewing style, "watching at home" was the most common at 79.1%.
▼Reasons for watching *Multiple answers (n=513) (%) *Excluding "probably won't watch"
▼Viewing style *Multiple answers (n=513) (%) *Excluding "probably won't watch"
TOPICS③
Approximately 60% of the population does not usually watch or care about soccer.
When asked what they usually watch or care about regarding soccer, 64.8% responded "nothing applies." The top interests were "Japan national soccer team" (23.2%) and "J-League" (19.0%), which were about 10 percentage points higher than "overseas soccer" (9.3%).
Regarding methods of watching soccer, "TV broadcast" was first at 47.0%, followed by "online streaming" (13.0%), "public viewing" (4.0%), and "radio broadcast" (2.8%), indicating that viewing through some form of media is dominant. On the other hand, "match venue" was second at 21.3%, showing that many people also watch live. Additionally, 43.7% had "never watched soccer."
▼What people usually watch or care about regarding soccer *Multiple answers (n=1,000) (%)
▼Methods of watching soccer that people have experienced *Multiple answers (n=1,000) (%)
TOPICS④
"TV programs" are the top source of sports information at 38.1%.
Regarding sources of sports information, "TV programs" were at the top with 38.1%. This is more than 10 percentage points higher than the next highest, "online portal sites" (26.5%), indicating the significant influence of television. This was followed by "TV commercials" (18.3%) and "SNS" (13.5%).
▼Sources of sports information *Multiple answers (n=1,000) (%)
TOPICS⑤
Approximately 30% of the population may attend J-League matches after the World Cup.
When asked about their J-League viewing experience, 20.0% had experienced live viewing (7.0% within the last year, 13.0% not within the last year but have experienced it). 23.5% had "not experienced live viewing but have watched via TV/online streaming." The most common response was "never watched" (56.5%).
Furthermore, when asked if they would go to a J-League match venue after the 2026 World Cup, 5.7% said "want to go." "Will go if invited" was 13.4%, and "will go if conditions are met" was 12.5%, totaling approximately 30% of the population with potential to attend. This suggests that actions may change depending on the trigger.
▼About J-League viewing (n=1,000) (%)
▼After the World Cup, J-League
【Survey Results】
・TOPICS①
Approximately half of the population will watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Approximately 30% plan to watch "Japan national team matches."
・TOPICS②
The most common reason for watching is "because the Japan national team is playing," at approximately 50%. Approximately 80% will watch "at home."
・TOPICS③
Approximately 60% of the population does not usually watch or care about soccer.
・TOPICS④
"TV programs" are the top source of sports information at 38.1%.
・TOPICS⑤
Approximately 30% of the population may attend J-League matches after the World Cup.
【Detailed Survey Results】
TOPICS①
Approximately half of the population will watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Approximately 30% plan to watch "Japan national team matches."
When asked about their viewing intentions for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, "probably won't watch" was the most common response at 48.7%. Excluding those who "probably won't watch," 51.3% responded that they intend to watch in some form. "Plan to watch Japan national team matches" was 28.5%, and "plan to watch matches other than Japan national team" was 12.8%. Additionally, 10.7% said they would "watch if it becomes a hot topic," indicating a segment whose viewing intention increases depending on the situation.
▼This year's World Cup viewing intention *Multiple answers (n=1,000) (%)
TOPICS②
The most common reason for watching is "because the Japan national team is playing," at approximately 50%. Approximately 80% will watch "at home."
The most common reason for watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup was "because the Japan national team is playing" at 50.1%. Other reasons such as "because it's generally exciting" (25.1%) and "to keep up with the conversation" (12.5%) suggest that the atmosphere and topicality of the tournament are driving factors for viewing.
Regarding viewing style, "watching at home" was the most common at 79.1%.
▼Reasons for watching *Multiple answers (n=513) (%) *Excluding "probably won't watch"
▼Viewing style *Multiple answers (n=513) (%) *Excluding "probably won't watch"
TOPICS③
Approximately 60% of the population does not usually watch or care about soccer.
When asked what they usually watch or care about regarding soccer, 64.8% responded "nothing applies." The top interests were "Japan national soccer team" (23.2%) and "J-League" (19.0%), which were about 10 percentage points higher than "overseas soccer" (9.3%).
Regarding methods of watching soccer, "TV broadcast" was first at 47.0%, followed by "online streaming" (13.0%), "public viewing" (4.0%), and "radio broadcast" (2.8%), indicating that viewing through some form of media is dominant. On the other hand, "match venue" was second at 21.3%, showing that many people also watch live. Additionally, 43.7% had "never watched soccer."
▼What people usually watch or care about regarding soccer *Multiple answers (n=1,000) (%)
▼Methods of watching soccer that people have experienced *Multiple answers (n=1,000) (%)
TOPICS④
"TV programs" are the top source of sports information at 38.1%.
Regarding sources of sports information, "TV programs" were at the top with 38.1%. This is more than 10 percentage points higher than the next highest, "online portal sites" (26.5%), indicating the significant influence of television. This was followed by "TV commercials" (18.3%) and "SNS" (13.5%).
▼Sources of sports information *Multiple answers (n=1,000) (%)
TOPICS⑤
Approximately 30% of the population may attend J-League matches after the World Cup.
When asked about their J-League viewing experience, 20.0% had experienced live viewing (7.0% within the last year, 13.0% not within the last year but have experienced it). 23.5% had "not experienced live viewing but have watched via TV/online streaming." The most common response was "never watched" (56.5%).
Furthermore, when asked if they would go to a J-League match venue after the 2026 World Cup, 5.7% said "want to go." "Will go if invited" was 13.4%, and "will go if conditions are met" was 12.5%, totaling approximately 30% of the population with potential to attend. This suggests that actions may change depending on the trigger.
▼About J-League viewing (n=1,000) (%)
▼After the World Cup, J-League