KEY POINTSDentsu analyzes Japan’s four FIFA World Cup 2026 matches using survey, smartphone, purchase and TV viewing dataReal-time TV reach totals 68.493 million, with about 11 million DAZN viewers and 3.709 million estimated out-of-home viewersKickoff times from 2 a.m. to 1 p.m. reshape commuting, app use and food purchases across Japan
A chart detailing consumer behavior patterns during FIFA World Cup 2026 matches. Note: Japanese text in the original image from press release has been translated into English by our editorial team.
Dentsu
Dentsu released an integrated analysis on August 13 of consumer behavior around Japan’s four national team matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026, combining a proprietary survey of about 10,000 people with data on smartphone use, purchases and television viewing.
The advertising group analyzed the tournament’s four Japan matches after kickoff times ranging from late night and early morning to a holiday afternoon and weekday commuting hours, as the event’s North American venues created large time differences with Japan.
Estimated real-time television reach across the four matches totaled 68.493 million viewers based on Video Research data. Dentsu also cited about 11 million viewers on sports streaming platform DAZN. In addition, its own survey estimated about 3.709 million people watched matches outside the home, including at bars and other restaurants, public viewing events, friends’ homes and workplaces.
For the Netherlands match, which kicked off at 5 a.m. on July 10, DAZN app unique users on the day were about 38.7 times the level of the previous week. In purchase data, shaved ice desserts rose 127.5% and corn chip snacks increased 119.0%.
For the Sweden match, which started at 8 a.m. on a weekday, commuter traffic on major rail lines in the Kanto region fell 10% to 20% from the previous week during commuting and school hours, while DAZN app starts in the 8 a.m. hour reached the highest level among the four matches. On the purchasing side, frozen rice balls rose 131.1% and cup noodles increased 129.5%.
For the Tunisia match at 1 p.m., foot traffic at theme parks and commercial facilities dropped about 14% from the same time a week earlier, while in-home consumption increased sharply. Happoshu, a low-malt beer category in Japan, rose 132.1% and popcorn sales rose 146.0%, while delivery app use was as much as 1.4 times the previous week’s level. STADIA360 television data also showed the Tunisia match recorded the highest rate of viewers watching for 120 minutes or longer among the four games.
For the Brazil match, which kicked off at 2 a.m. on a weekday, launches of communication apps rose to 176.7% of the previous week’s level. Purchases made the day before included non-alcoholic chu-hi, a canned shochu-based or spirit-based drink, up 119.7% and premium mini ice cream up 116.7%. On the day of the match, granola sales rose 155.1% and energy drinks increased 7%.
The four Japan matches were broadcast on NHK General and BS, Nippon TV network stations and Fuji TV network stations. Dentsu used STADIA360, a television viewing platform based on data from 15.6 million connected TVs in Japan, and behavior log data handled through NTT Docomo’s data clean room, which covers location information, app use and cashless payments.
The proprietary survey covered 9,692 men and women aged 15 to 69 nationwide and was conducted online from July 10 to July 13. Purchase data cited in the analysis was aggregated from consumer panel data covering residents in the Keihin, Kanto, Tokai and Keihanshin areas from a nationwide panel of about 70,000 people.
Sports rights in Japan are split among broadcasters and streaming platforms, and major international tournaments often drive changes in viewing patterns when kickoff times fall outside prime time. Dentsu said it plans to continue supporting sports broadcasting rights, sponsorship and content marketing.