Football’s biggest stage has found itself in the middle of a health debate. A new study says fans watching the 2026 Fifa World Cup were exposed to a relentless stream of junk food and drink advertising, with researchers describing the exposure as a “constant bombardment.”
The findings have reignited questions about how global sport is marketed, who benefits, and where the line should be drawn when brand promotion meets public health. The scale is striking: across 104 matches, researchers say viewers saw unhealthy food and drink logos and products tens of thousands of times.
Live play packed with brand visibility
Researchers from the University of Bristol and the University of Oxford used an AI tool to analyse advertising visible to television viewers during live play. Their focus was on pitchside boards and stadium branding shown on the international feed, meaning the adverts were visible to audiences around the world.
According to the study, junk food and drink brands appeared 65,722 times in total and remained visible for 28.1 hours across the tournament. That works out to just over 16% of the total match time. The researchers also estimated an average of 576 visible ads for junk food and drink in each game.
Big brands dominated the screen
Among the most visible names were Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Powerade and Lay’s. Coca-Cola led the count with 21,893 appearances, followed by McDonald’s with 13,915, Powerade with 12,777 and Lay’s with 12,087.
All four are official Fifa partners, and the study suggests that football’s commercial ecosystem gave unhealthy products a powerful global platform during live action. The timing matters too: these were not halftime commercials or pre-match promotions, but advertisements shown while the game itself was being played.
| Brand | Visible appearances |
|---|---|
| Coca-Cola | 21,893 |
| McDonald’s | 13,915 |
| Powerade | 12,777 |
| Lay’s | 12,087 |
| Total junk food and drink ads | 65,722 |
Why the findings matter
The report argues that repeated exposure to unhealthy food and drink advertising can normalise consumption, especially when tied to excitement, national identity and elite sport. That concern has become more urgent as governments try to reduce obesity-related harm.
“Repeatedly connecting unhealthy food and drink brands with football, excitement and national identity can make these brands familiar and normalise their consumption,” the researchers said in the report.
Dr Elisa Becker, one of the co-authors, said: “We are facing a global crisis of childhood obesity and diet-related disease, yet the world’s biggest sporting event is saturated with marketing for unhealthy food and drinks.”
Health campaigners call it a loophole
The debate is particularly sharp in the UK, where foods such as burgers, chips, crisps and sugary drinks were included in a ban on junk food TV advertising before 9pm from October 2025. But the World Cup ads appeared on stadium hoardings and fell outside that law because the tournament is international.
Greg Fell, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, said the situation exposed a gap in regulation. “It is definitely a loophole,” he told BBC Sport. “It requires worldwide collaboration because obesity is a problem everywhere.”
He also linked the issue to broader concerns about child health, saying children are a key target because they represent future consumers. The NHS says that in 2024, 15% of UK children were obese and 26% were overweight.
Fifa defends its commercial model
Fifa responded by pointing to the way it uses tournament revenue, saying much of it is reinvested into football and social impact projects. A spokesperson said the organisation works with a “broad, global portfolio of partners” and argued that its campaigns promoted unity, inclusion, health and friendship.
The governing body added that its Be Active programme delivered health and wellbeing messages to audiences on an unprecedented scale during the World Cup. Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and PepsiCo, which owns Lay’s, were also contacted for comment, though no response was received.
The study also compared junk food visibility with other categories of potentially harmful advertising. Junk food and drink promotion appeared around seven times more often than alcohol and prediction market brands, 10 times more often than gambling firms, and almost 25 times more often than cryptocurrency.
That comparison may become central to the wider policy debate. If elite sport can limit some forms of advertising, campaigners argue, then a more global approach could be needed to stop unhealthy brands dominating the screen at events watched by millions of children and adults alike.
For now, the numbers tell a powerful story: football’s biggest tournament is no longer just a sporting showcase. It is also one of the world’s most valuable advertising stages, and the latest research suggests unhealthy brands have been using that stage more than most.
