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2026 World Cup: the match that ‘set the internet alight’ wasn’t the final

According to Cloudflare data, the internet has fallen in step with football: traffic has doubled at night, smartphones are being switched back on even for a three-minute break, and online betting takes place every day

by Gianluca Brazzioli

25 July 2026

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2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

The North American time zone
Three minutes to get back to your smartphone
Argentina tops the rankings for traffic too
Betting takes a hit at the weekend

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

It wasn’t the final won by Spain, nor was it either of the two semi-finals: the match that generated the most online buzz during the 2026 World Cup was Argentina v Switzerland, the quarter-final on 11 July which ended 3–1 to the Albiceleste. This is according to a study by Cloudflare, an organisation that manages over 20 per cent of global web traffic.

During the Argentina v Switzerland match, traffic deviated from usual levels by around 26 per cent, more than the 21 per cent recorded during the France v Spain semi-final. However, a fluctuation does not necessarily mean an increase: traffic may rise because viewers are watching the match via a live stream, or it may fall because they switch off their smartphones and focus on the television. The analysis took both scenarios into account, measuring the extent to which online activity deviated from normal levels during the two hours following kick-off.

The North American time zone

For each country, Cloudflare compared web activity on a minute-by-minute basis with the median recorded over the previous four weeks, and a key factor contributing to the variation was the time of the match.

When kick-off took place between midnight and 8 am, there was a significant change: these were normally times of low traffic, during which it was enough for just some of the fans to stay awake to significantly alter the national figures.

When Bosnia and Herzegovina played at 2 am, traffic levels at times exceeded twice the normal level. During the national team’s evening matches, the opposite occurred: traffic fell to around 70 per cent of usual levels, as viewers put their other devices aside.

Three minutes to get back to your smartphone

In most countries, traffic rose sharply during half-time and drink breaks, following a consistent pattern: as soon as play is halted, spectators pick up their smartphones again and connection rates rise; when the match resumes, the curve drops. In some cases, a three-minute break is enough to produce a measurable peak.

In a minority of countries, however, the opposite is true. In Algeria, Tunisia, Jordan, Egypt and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, streaming is widely used as a way of watching matches, and this generates web traffic that is indistinguishable from that generated by smartphones.

Argentina tops the rankings for traffic too

The national team with the greatest ability to influence online activity was Argentina, which was able to shift the country’s median traffic by 17 per cent. It was followed by France, Spain, Norway, Brazil, Portugal and Morocco.

Every knockout-stage match could have been Lionel Messi’s last World Cup match – this being his sixth appearance – and even the final against Spain made its mark online, with a 20-percentage-point increase in traffic.

Betting takes a hit at the weekend

The extended schedule has also affected commercial traffic. Before the tournament, traffic to gaming and betting sites followed a weekly pattern, with peaks at weekends. From Thursday 11 June, the date of the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, traffic began to rise; with matches taking place almost every day, the pattern levelled off and became more consistent.