Beyond the Game: The Sports Report 2026

Sports remain one of the strongest drivers of digital engagement, but the forces shaping the ecosystem continue to evolve. The 2026 FIFA World Cup fueled record activity across sports apps and wagering platforms, prediction markets continued gaining share, and women's sports attracted larger audiences alongside growing advertiser investment. Sensor Tower's Beyond the Game: The Sports Report 2026 explores these trends and more across mobile and digital platforms.

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The FIFA World Cup Sparked a Surge in Sports App Engagement

The opening weeks of the 2026 FIFA World Cup once again illustrated how major sporting events drive digital engagement across the sports ecosystem. As fans followed matches in real time, they increasingly turned to mobile apps for live scores, news, statistics, wagering, and other second-screen experiences.

Sports News, Statistics & Live Scores apps reached a record 137 million downloads globally in Q2 2026, driven by demand leading up to and immediately following the FIFA World Cup kickoff. In the US, FotMob's weekly downloads more than tripled—from 30K before kickoff to an average of 97K during the tournament's first three weeks—while weekly active users (WAUs) grew from 1.2 million to 1.6 million. Other leading live score apps, including Sofascore, 365Scores, and LiveScore, also experienced strong gains during the tournament.

The tournament's impact was particularly pronounced in Latin America, where sports app downloads reached a record 77 million in Q2 2026, underscoring football's ability to drive app adoption across the region.

The FIFA World Cup also became one of the industry's biggest customer acquisition opportunities for US sports wagering platforms. During the tournament's opening three weeks, weekly downloads surpassed Super Bowl LX levels, making the World Cup the strongest acquisition driver observed over the past two years. Prediction markets were the primary driver of category growth, with Kalshi and Polymarket recording weekly downloads nearly 2× and 4× their respective Super Bowl LX levels. bet365 also exceeded its Super Bowl week download levels, highlighting stronger acquisition around major soccer events.

The tournament also provided a major acquisition boost in Brazil, where the regulated online sports betting market launched in 2025. Betano maintained its market leadership, with average weekly downloads rising from 320K in the three weeks before kickoff to 619K during the tournament's opening three weeks, while weekly active users surpassed 5 million. Meanwhile, bet365 recorded the largest World Cup-driven acquisition lift among major operators, with average weekly downloads increasing roughly fivefold versus the three weeks preceding the tournament.

Prediction Markets Are Winning Share in Sports Wagering

Prediction markets are quickly becoming a meaningful force within the sports wagering ecosystem. While traditional sportsbooks remained the largest segment within the US Sports Wagering cohort, their share of cohort monthly active users (MAUs) declined from 76% in 2023 to 64% in H1 2026. During the same period, prediction markets expanded from less than 1% to 16% of cohort MAUs, representing one of the fastest shifts in the sports wagering landscape over the past several years.

Kalshi has been the primary driver of this shift. Penetration within the Sports Wagering cohort increased from less than 1% in early 2025 to nearly 9% by May 2026. By April and May 2026, roughly 16% of PrizePicks and Underdog users were also using Kalshi, suggesting that sports bettors are increasingly incorporating prediction markets alongside traditional sportsbooks and DFS apps rather than viewing them as substitutes.

Women's Sports Continue Building Audience and Advertiser Momentum

Women's basketball continued to gain momentum in 2026, with the WNBA building on the audience growth achieved over the past two seasons. The league's install base expanded from 302K users in Q1 2024 to 1.57 million by Q2 2026. Relative to the NBA, the WNBA's audience grew from roughly 13% of the NBA's install base in early 2022 to more than 60% by Q1 2026. Engagement remained strong, with active users still more than 30× above Q1 2022 levels by Q2 2026, suggesting the league has retained much of its expanded audience.

The league's growing audience has also attracted advertisers well beyond traditional sports and media companies. Health & Wellness ad impressions increased 10× YoY, while Consumer Packaged Goods grew nearly 8× and Gaming more than doubled, underscoring the WNBA's growing value as a platform for brands seeking highly engaged audiences.

Additional Highlights:

Read Sensor Tower’s 2026 Sports Report, featuring interactive insights across more than 20 markets, including:

• Mobile App Trends – Discover how consumer demand on mobile varies across sports, markets, and major sporting events.

• Web Trends – Explore how fans engage with sports online, including the top sports websites, traffic sources, and emerging GenAI referrals.

• Digital Advertising Trends – Learn how leading brands allocate advertising budgets and adapt their strategies around the world's biggest sporting events.

• Sports Wagering – See how prediction markets are reshaping sports betting in the US and how operators in Brazil leveraged the FIFA World Cup to accelerate growth following market regulation.

• Sports Gaming – Analyze the latest trends in sports gaming across mobile, PC, and console, from licensed franchises to the biggest winners of the FIFA World Cup.

Download the full report to explore the explore how sports is impacting the digital economy across the globe.