World Cup 2026: what six weeks of football meant for iGaming

The 2026 World Cup drew a record 48 nations and 104 matches across the US, Canada and Mexico. This report tracks what that meant for iGaming — from search demand to betting volume to match profitability for bookmakers.

What the data shows

The tournament didn't create new demand so much as it redistributed the demand that was already there. Group stage days — with more matches and more teams in play — outpulled the knockout rounds. Host-nation elimination hit the US hard and barely touched Canada and Mexico. And the matches that made money for bookmakers weren't the ones with shock results — they were low-scoring, tightly priced games where the totals market never moved.

Who should read this

Anyone in iGaming trying to understand how a major sporting event actually moves the market — beyond the assumption that a World Cup is automatically good for betting volume.

What's inside

• World Cup demand across 44 markets, day by day through the group stage, knockouts and final.

• Host-nation deep-dive: USA, Canada and Mexico demand before and after elimination.

• Top 20 brands by Blask Index growth during the tournament

• Match profitability index with deep-dives on the most profitable and least profitable matches, both semifinals, the final and the third-place playoff.