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. (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