AppsFlyer has released a new report titled Scoring Big: The Complete Marketer’s Guide to the World’s Biggest Soccer Event. The AppsFlyer report was developed in collaboration with Sensor Tower and M+C Saatchi Performance.

The study draws on billions of installs and remarketing conversions. It offers a data-backed framework based on insights from the 2022 edition of the tournament. Moreover, it aims to help brands turn short-term spikes in attention into sustained growth, retention, and lifetime value (LTV) across streaming, CTV, mobile, retail, and digital ecosystems.

According to the report, the 2026 tournament will feature 104 football matches across three countries and 16 cities. As a result, it will be the largest edition to date. The event is expected to create a rare five-week window of sustained global attention and commercial intensity.

Sarah Maina, Regional Manager, Middle East & France at AppsFlyer, said brands must avoid treating 2026 as a short-term sprint. Instead, she described it as a marketing stress test and amplifier. She added that winning strategies require localization at scale, orchestration across streaming, CTV, mobile, and retail touchpoints, and clear measurement with confidence.

The report highlights several key findings. First, streaming surged at kickoff. Streaming app installs jumped 46% on opening day. They also remained 41% higher throughout the first week, showing how live moments can accelerate acquisition when onboarding is seamless.

Meanwhile, retail saw significant year-on-year growth. Shopping app installs grew two to three times compared to 2021. This increase coincided with Black Friday and Cyber Week, which amplified competition and boosted short-term purchase intent.

In addition, food delivery experienced notable gains. Globally, food delivery installs rose 15% on opening day. South America recorded the strongest overall growth during the tournament at 6.7%, indicating that football culture can drive incremental adoption.

Furthermore, news and gaming categories saw strong demand. Sports news installs increased 72% on opening day and remained 56% above average in week one. At the same time, sports gaming installs climbed 18% above November averages and held 9% above average in the first week, reflecting a shift from passive viewing to interactive engagement.

Beyond performance data, the report outlines a three-phase campaign strategy. In the pre-event phase, brands are encouraged to invest early while costs are lower and attention builds. During the event, marketers should activate in real time around key matches when attention peaks. Post-event, brands are advised to sustain engagement with a clear retention strategy to convert short-term attention into long-term growth.

The study also stresses the importance of connecting physical and digital touchpoints. It recommends validating performance using a measurement trifecta of attribution, incrementality testing, and media mix modeling.

Jonathan Briskman, Director of Market Insights at Sensor Tower, noted that sports fans move between TV, mobile, and web. Therefore, brands should plan for multi-screen engagement. He added that adjacent moments, such as ordering food, placing a bet, booking travel, or following live scores, offer significant opportunities.

Jonathan Yantz, Managing Partner at M+C Saatchi Performance, said tournament periods bring intense competition and creative fatigue. He emphasized the need for early planning, localized creative testing, and authentic fan engagement through language nuance, community messaging, and creator-led content.

Overall, the AppsFlyer report positions the 2026 tournament as a critical opportunity for brands to adopt data-driven strategies, optimize cross-channel execution, and apply advanced measurement frameworks to drive sustainable growth, according to AppsFlyer.

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