Unhealthy Food and Gambling Ads Were Nearly Impossible to Miss During the World Cup

If you watched this summer's FIFA World Cup on TV, you were constantly surrounded by ads for unhealthy food, drinks, and gambling. A new study from the University of Bristol and the University of Oxford found that brands like Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Betano appeared nearly 66,000 times across the tournament's 104 games. Researchers say this kind of advertising was nearly impossible for viewers to avoid — whether they were kids or adults.

The study looked at pitchside and in-stadium advertising — the kind on boards and banners inside the stadium — rather than regular commercial breaks. Logos for unhealthy food, alcohol, and gambling companies were visible for about 39.3 hours of live play. That means for almost one quarter of every game, viewers could see these brand images on their screens.

More than 70 percent of all the branding spotted during the research was for unhealthy products. Gambling and prediction market brands alone appeared nearly 16,000 times, adding up to about 4.2 hours of screen time. Two of the biggest gambling advertisers were Betano, a Malta-based betting company, and ADI Predictstreet, a predictions platform that researchers describe as a form of gambling.

Scientists used a powerful supercomputer called Isambard-AI, based at the University of Bristol, to track and count the ads. FIFA, the organization that runs the World Cup, said the tournament reached about six billion people worldwide. That huge audience made the event one of the most valuable advertising opportunities on the planet.

Researchers raised a serious concern about the gambling ads specifically. Betano is licensed to operate in only around 20 countries, but the World Cup was broadcast in more than 220 territories. That means people in most countries watched ads for a gambling company that was not legally approved to operate where they lived. 'FIFA's marketing deals appeared to show little respect for national laws and licensing regimes,' said Dr. Raffaello Rossi, a senior lecturer at the University of Bristol.

Health experts are also worried about the impact on children. Dr. Elisa Becker of the University of Oxford said the world is dealing with a serious childhood obesity crisis, and flooding the World Cup with junk food ads makes that problem worse. 'Sport should be part of the solution to poor health — not one of the world's most powerful advertising platforms for the products driving it,' she said. The United Kingdom recently banned junk food ads on TV before 9 p.m. to protect children, but live sports broadcasts are not included in that rule.

FIFA defended its choices and said it has rules that all its partners must follow. The organization also pointed to social programs it runs, such as 'Be Active,' which encourages children to live healthier lives. A FIFA spokesperson said the vast majority of the group's projected $14 billion in revenue for its next four-year cycle will go back into developing football around the world, including programs that support health, participation, and women's football. FIFA added that these commercial partnerships make it possible to grow the sport in more than 100 countries where it would not otherwise be supported.