• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Despite being a host country, just 10% of Americans have an interest in the World Cup -- making it one of the countries with the lowest level of engagement globally, according to Fifty5Blue.

The research is based on data from the company’s TGI Global Quick View, which provides a view into 80,000 internet-connected consumers worldwide.

Some markets have nearly five times the proportion of fans as the United States.

The data shows interest levels in the United States are above only that of Japan (7%) and Taiwan (65) and far below the top three markets of South Africa and Brazil, where 44% of consumers in each country are interested in the World Cup and Argentina, with 42% of consumers. 

Worldwide, 24% of connected adults say they follow the World Cup, according to Fifty5Blue, formerly Kantar Media.

Of the three countries with the highest proportion of fans, Brazil and Argentina have considerable football heritage, while South Africa were World Cup hosts relatively recently.

At the other end of the scale, in the U.S., just 10% follow the World Cup. Despite the tournament being played largely in the U.S., this has not translated into high engagement for the competition.

Globally, World Cup fans are among the most well-off, with 18% likely to have a high net worth, compared to 10% of all adults.

Just under 20% of World Cup fans in the U.S. are high net worth. Countries with the highest percentage of World Cup fans who are high net worth are India, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

The findings reveal key opportunities for marketers in understanding and targeting World Cup fans across the globe.

Tech, finance and motoring are top topics likely to grab the attention of World Cup fans, according to the research, with those engaged with the World Cup more likely than all adults to spend on big projects in the next 12 months, including traveling abroad, renovating or extending homes and buying a new car.