Sports betting and football engagement stand out across five African markets as FIFA World Cup 2026 begins, GeoPoll finds
GeoPoll’s latest survey found high levels of football engagement, sports betting participation and national team support across Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique and South Africa ahead of World Cup 2026.
Kenya.- Sports betting participation and football engagement across five key African markets were highlighted in a GeoPoll survey released before FIFA World Cup 2026, which kicked off on June 11. The research, which covered Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique and South Africa, found that football remains the dominant sport across all five countries, with followership ranging from 91 per cent to 96 per cent.
The findings come from GeoPoll’s Football 2026 Fan Behaviour, Media Consumption & Tournament Predictions report, published on May 15. GeoPoll’s Football Survey 2026 examined football fandom, sports betting participation, fantasy football engagement and media consumption habits across the surveyed markets. The survey was conducted via GeoPoll’s mobile app and WhatsApp between May 11 and 15 2026 among 2,452 respondents aged 18 to 50 across the five countries.
Football followership ranged from 91 per cent to 96 per cent across the five markets surveyed, with Kenya and Nigeria recording the highest engagement levels at 96 per cent. The survey also found strong support for national teams, with engagement levels exceeding 89 per cent in every country surveyed.
According to GeoPoll, active sports betting participation rates ranged from 49 per cent in Ghana to 77 per cent in Kenya. South Africa recorded an active betting rate of 67 per cent, followed by Mozambique at 66 per cent and Nigeria at 62 per cent. Kenya also posted the highest regular betting rate in the study, with 42 per cent of respondents saying they bet regularly on sports.
Among the five countries surveyed, Kenya stood out for its high levels of football viewing, fantasy football participation and sports betting engagement.
The English Premier League was the most followed football league in four of the five markets surveyed, while La Liga led in Mozambique. Television remained the leading source of football news and live viewing across most markets. However, social media continues to play an increasingly important role in how fans access football content and has already overtaken television in Ghana.
GeoPoll also found that only 8 per cent of Kenyan respondents had never participated in sports betting, compared with 33 per cent in Ghana, highlighting differing levels of wagering engagement across the surveyed countries.
The survey was published ahead of World Cup 2026, with the tournament expected to draw strong interest from football audiences across the continent.
