World Cup Audiences Are Listening—And Brands Should Too.

Note to brands looking to attract soccer fans when the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off across 11 U.S. host cities in June: consider moving some of those chips to audio media.

“For a growing share of fans, the World Cup isn’t just watched, it’s listened to,” a report from Nielsen says. “In a tournament defined by global narratives and cultural pride, the brands that win may be the ones that show up where fans are listening.”

According to Nielsen, more than three-fourths (77%) of soccer fans in the U.S. fans use radio and podcasts specifically for soccer content, over-indexing the general population. Those fans are also more likely to listen to both for sports news: 61% of soccer fans say they tune to radio, vs. 46% of the general population, while 60% listen to podcasts vs. 37% overall.

Nielsen notes the increasing importance of podcasts, with research showing that millennials are 41% more likely to consume World Cup content via podcasts than any other medium, which, it says, “signal[s] demand for deeper, more contextual storytelling.”

Podcasts have also seen significant growth among Black audiences, which Nielsen says is “one of the most influential and fastest-growing segments in soccer fandom.” Nielsen’s research shows that Black adults who listen to podcasts daily have nearly doubled in the last five years, including a 135% increase in heavy listeners (defined as eight or more hours per week). Additionally, Black listeners are 32% more likely to tune into podcasts hosted by radio personalities, reflecting the continued influence of radio, which reaches 92% of the Black population.

“How fans engage with the tournament is shifting beyond traditional and even social platforms,” Nielsen’s report says, as it points out the continued growth of soccer’s audience in the U.S., noting that one-third (33%) of the general population says it expects their interest in soccer to increase over the next 18 months.

Research from other sources backs up Nielsen’s report, with Spotify data showing a 358% increase in sports podcast listening in the days following a major competition and a fourfold year-over-year rise overall, and WARC noting that brands are increasingly shifting ad dollars toward the conversation surrounding the games, with podcasts emerging as a key part of that strategy.

Additionally, over the past six months, content providers have answered the call for soccer-based podcasts, with Netflix signing Goalhanger’s “The Rest Is Football” for daily episodes during World Cup action, and reVolver Podcasts expanding its soccer content roster with “Esto es Fútbol Mundial,” its collaboration with Mundial Sports Network and Mundial Group Inc.