Late kick-offs will change how Brits watch the World Cup

More than 80% of UK football fans say the timing of this summer’s matches will change how many they watch live, new research from EE has found.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, which pushes kick-offs into the late evening and overnight for UK viewers. EE surveyed 2,000 UK consumers through Sapio Research, with interviews carried out online in May 2026.

The data shows that many fans plan to be selective rather than watch everything. A quarter said they will mainly watch the biggest matches live, such as their own team’s games or the knockout rounds, while others expect to watch fewer live games overall or rely on highlights and updates.

More than three-quarters (76%) said they will take steps to avoid finding out a result before catching up, from avoiding social media and news apps to muting notifications or staying away from their phones entirely.

Almost eight in ten (79%) said they would be upset to learn about a goal before seeing it on their own screen, whether through notifications, group chats or hearing people nearby celebrate, a concern EE described as the “roar before the score”.

More than four in five (82%) said they would be frustrated if a stream cut out and they missed a key moment such as a goal, and 23% said that would spoil the match completely. A further 93% said it matters that live matches are shown with as little delay as possible.

Streaming vs TV

Viewing habits split sharply by age. Among fans aged 18 to 24, 70% will turn to digital platforms, and 43% will use social media for updates and highlights, while only 30% expect to use traditional broadcast TV.

Two thirds of all fans (66%) said a reliable mobile or broadband connection will be extremely or very important to their experience of watching the matches.

Where people watch is shifting too. Fewer fans expect to watch in pubs or fan zones than at past tournaments, with more planning to stay at home. A third said they regularly use a second screen while watching live sport, to check other scores, message friends or follow reactions online.

Fans ranked no buffering, no delays and better picture quality as the most important factors when streaming live sport, ahead of features such as alternative camera angles, real-time stats or personalised highlights.

Greg McCall, Chief Security and Networks Officer at BT, which operates the EE network, said the tournament brings UK football fans together and that watching the action live “matters enormously”.

McCall said even short delays or interruptions frustrate fans, and that for many, missing a goal ruins the match. He said reliable connectivity has never been more important as fans switch between streams, clips, social feeds and group chats.

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