How FIFA World Cup avoidance affects consumer spending

The World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events on the planet. Billions of fans. Wall-to-wall coverage. Pubs packed to the rafters. But what about the people who aren't watching? The ones switching off, heading out, or simply going about their lives as if the whole thing isn't happening?

We surveyed 4,000 people across the USA, UK, Spain and Germany to find out: first, how many of those people there are; and second, if they’re not spending on the World Cup, where are they spending instead.

Here's what the data tells us.

A quarter of consumers are checked out, deliberately

More than one in four people (26.1%) describe their relationship with the World Cup as indifferent, disliking, or actively avoiding. Not a niche. A segment.

And crucially, most of them aren’t drifting away passively. Of the people who changed their behaviour during the tournament, 28.1% said they planned it in advance. Only 23% described their avoidance as mostly instinctive. These are opted-out consumers, not distracted ones.

There are also some interesting differences between the nations here. Americans are clearly the most deliberate World Cup avoiders: 37.7% of US respondents made alternative plans in advance, compared to 21.4% in the UK and 24.2% in Spain. European markets tend to adapt in real time rather than pre-plan their escape routes.

Bars and restaurants feel it most

The single most common avoidance behaviour isn’t switching streaming platforms or deleting social apps. It’s avoiding bars and restaurants altogether: 18% of those who took any avoidance action stayed home rather than risk walking into a match.

And of the people who did go out? Nearly 29% had a negative or disengaged experience, either leaving (11.7%) or staying but feeling uncomfortable or annoyed (17%). Only 46.7% actively enjoyed the atmosphere.

The fan-type lens makes this starker. Among passionate fans, 62% actively enjoyed the venue atmosphere. Among those who are indifferent, 55% stayed but didn’t really mind, and 24% left entirely.

Even fans want a break sometimes

Here's the finding that surprised us most. When we asked people who engage with the World Cup whether they'd ever done anything to escape it, most said yes.

Among engaged respondents, only 37% said they’d taken no avoidance action at all. The rest had cooked at home more, reduced their social media use, taken a trip away, or avoided bars and restaurants – even while following the tournament.

Spain is the outlier: 42% of Spanish respondents said they’d done none of the above, compared to just 30% in the USA. Americans are the most likely to find an escape hatch, even when they care about the sport.

Fan fatigue is real. And it has implications for how brands time and target their World Cup campaigns.

Where the money goes instead

Consumer spending doesn't stop during the World Cup, it redirects. When we asked non-watchers where they prefer to spend their leisure money during the tournament, the top picks were:

• Streaming subscriptions – 15.3% of Rank 1 votes
• Travel and weekend trips – 14.7%
• Non-sports restaurants – 13.6%
• Books or music – 13.4%

For streaming platforms, travel brands, independent restaurants, and publishers, the World Cup window is an opportunity to capture fans and non-fans alike. The audience is there. They're spending. They just don't want to watch football.

What this means for brands

Most World Cup marketing chases the same audience: passionate fans, high engagement, full immersion. That audience is real and valuable. But it's not the whole picture.

The non-watchers, the reluctant venue-goers, the fans who quietly take a weekend away – they represent a significant and underserved share of consumers. And unlike passive disengagement, their avoidance is planned, deliberate, and in many cases already funded.

The brands that win during tournament season aren't always the ones with pitch-side hoardings.

Explore the full Report on the Appinio platform.