YouGov Sport

🏊 🏃➡️ 🤸 Glasgow 2026 is underway - and Britain is getting excited! YouGov data shows Net Buzz for the Commonwealth Games has nearly tripled since January, hitting its 2026 peak to date just as opening ceremony festivities kicked off yesterday. Overall, 56% of UK adults express interest in the Games. Notably, interest grows with age: over-55s are the most engaged age group (63%), 18-24s the least (41%). We'll be tracking how sentiment shifts as the Games unfold! #Glasgow2026 #CommonwealthGames

⚽ Which brands turned FIFA World Cup excitement into measurable gains with U.S. consumers? New YouGov BrandIndex data reveals the 16 brands that had the biggest impact with U.S. FIFA World Cup fans, including Samsung, Buchanan's, Google, Universal Studios Hollywood, Waymo, General Mills. 👉See the full list: https://lnkd.in/dyc8kFDi #fifa #worldcup #sponsorship #sponsorshipimpact

⚽ Craving some football data that isn't FIFA World Cup related? We have you covered with our quarterly The Premier League Brand Health Ranking report, featuring YouGov BrandIndex data from Q2 2026: Champions of England, Arsenal Football Club, remain the team to beat - on and off the pitch. The Gunners move to the top spot for Brand Health and maintain their top spot in Buzz from Q1 2026. Manchester United are back in UEFA Champions League, and back in the Brand Health Top 4. A strong increase in Brand Health (+8.7) and Buzz (+8.3) from Q1 2026 spearheaded by Carrick's side's strong end to the season and return to the pinnacle of club football. Chelsea Football Club suffer the toughest quarter in the league. The blues record the biggest decline in Brand Health (-9.7) and remain 19th in Buzz, reflecting a difficult period for the club. With expectations always high at Stamford Bridge, and a former Liverpool Football Club star coming in to take the reins, can Chelsea turn sentiment around and climb back up the rankings in the new season? With less than a month until kickoff, the data will show us soon enough! #premierleague #brandtracking #sport

Well...this YouGov data is pretty clear 😂 🫠 No further analysis needed - enjoy the game on Sunday! 🌎 🏆 #FIFAWorldCup

⚽ Rising star vs. veteran — who wins the international fandom battle? As 39-year-old Lionel Messi and 19-year-old Lamine Yamal are set to meet in Sunday's FIFA World Cup final, YouGov Global Fan Profiles data suggests the veteran still leads the fandom competition worldwide. Across 32 markets, Messi is the more popular of the two among football fans in every country — except one. In Yamal's native Spain, the two are level (29% each); versus in Messi's Argentina, where he reigns supreme (66% vs. 14%). Our data suggests global fandom is built over a career, not a tournament. At 19, Yamal is just getting started — and a win on Sunday could start to close the gap. #WorldCup #Football #YouGov #Messi #Yamal

⚽ Official sponsorships put brands at the heart of the FIFA World Cup — but they aren't the only route into the conversation. Take Levi's and Gillette: neither is an official FIFA sponsor, and clean-venue rules meant their stadium branding had to be concealed during matches. Both turned that constraint into a viral moment, with the Levi's batwing silhouette and Gillette shaving foam quickly becoming masterclass moments in creative brand marketing. But did these pivots move the needle? YouGov BrandIndex data among U.S. World Cup fans suggests yes, with Buzz gains for both brands outpacing movement among the wider U.S. population: 📈 Levi's Buzz: 23.0 → 29.1 (+6.1) 📈 Gillette Buzz: 22.9 → 28.1 (+5.2) The lesson? A global event like the World Cup rewards brands that show up with sharp creative and cultural timing — whether through official rights or a clever activation around them. 👉 Full analysis: https://lnkd.in/gSdV_mGm #SportsMarketing #BrandTracking #FIFAWorldCup #YouGov

⚽ 📈 Major League Soccer just hit a record high in ad awareness among Americans. Two days after MLS launched its new campaign — "Thanks World, We'll Take It From Here" — YouGov BrandIndex daily tracking shows that as of *yesterday* 14.4% of US adults recall seeing an MLS ad in the past two weeks. That's an all-time high in our data. MLS timed its new campaign for the exact moment the world's attention was already on soccer in North America — the transition out of the FIFA World Cup and back into the MLS season. And with more airtime to come through the FWC final, this figure looks likely to climb further in the coming days. 👀 #MLS #SportsMarketing #BrandTracking #YouGovSport #FIFAWorldCup

🏉 Rugby league just broke a record in Victoria — and the data backs it up 🏆 When Melbourne hosted its first State of Origin back in 1990, few would've predicted a sold-out MCG, 91,671 fans deep, watching NSW and QLD go head-to-head in Game II. The biggest Origin crowd ever. Turns out the buzz isn't just in the stands. YouGov SportsIndex daily tracking data shows Origin's Brand Health score among Victorians hit an all-time high in July 2026 too. The takeaway? Rugby league is having a real moment in Victoria — thanks in large part to the NRL's push south and the Melbourne Storm's continued dominance on the field.

Last year, one of our most popular YouGov Sport content pieces explored which event controlled the UK's TV remote during a packed summer of live sport. This year, with Wimbledon, the FIFA World Cup, Formula 1, cricket, rugby and more battling for attention once again, we return to the question, expanding our analysis to examine not just what fans watched, but what they talked about and where brands ultimately captured value. Using bespoke YouGov consumer research, BARB viewing data, social media analysis and sponsorship valuation, our team tracked how attention moved across one of the busiest weekends in sport. Some key findings: 📺 England's World Cup match against Mexico generated the highest viewing intent despite its overnight kick-off 🎾 Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix both felt the impact of schedule clashes, with audiences actively moving between events 💬 The biggest social media moments weren't always the most-watched moments - controversy often drove conversation long after the final whistle 💰 For sponsors, split audiences meant split value, highlighting the commercial impact of an increasingly congested sporting calendar The takeaway? As sports schedules become more crowded, understanding how fans allocate their attention is becoming just as important as measuring audience size. Read the full analysis below ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/drAaTMBT #SportsBusiness #SportsMedia #SportsSponsorship #Wimbledon #Formula1 #FIFAWorldCup #YouGovSport

🏏 Australia are Women's T20 World Cup champions once again, completing an undefeated campaign and reinforcing their standing as one of the most successful teams in international sport. The tournament also offered an opportunity to shine a light on the team’s next era of up and coming superstars. YouGov Sport daily BrandIndex tracking data shows the team's Brand Health improved significantly during Australia’s World Cup campaign, following a period decline after Alyssa Healy’s retirement announcement and final match. The results highlight the importance of the athletes fans recognise, follow, and connect with. There are encouraging signs that a new generation is beginning to build that connection: new captain Sophie Molineux grew her Instagram following by 7% across the tournament period, while Phoebe Litchfield following grew by 10%, following standout performances from both. As Australia enters its next chapter in the post-Healy era, continued visibility around both the team’s performances and its emerging player personalities will be important in sustaining the momentum generated by its World Cup success. ⭐