A study conducted by researchers from the University of Bristol and the University of Oxford has revealed that football fans during the 2026 Fifa World Cup were exposed to a large number of advertisements promoting unhealthy foods and drinks. The research team used an artificial intelligence tool to analyze the advertisements that were visible to television viewers during live matches in the tournament's 104 games. These ads were mostly displayed on pitchside boards and around stadiums in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The study found that brands associated with junk food and sugary drinks—classified by the UK government as high in fat, salt, or sugar—had their logos and products shown a total of 65,722 times. These advertisements were visible for 28.1 hours across the tournament, which is about 16% of the total time that matches were being played. The ads were shown during the international broadcast of matches while the game was in progress, meaning they were visible to all viewers worldwide, not just in the host countries. This does not include advertisements shown during pre-match coverage, halftime breaks, or the controversial in-match hydration breaks. The researchers estimated that an average of 576 ads for unhealthy food and drinks were visible during each match. Coca-Cola had the highest number of ads (21,893), followed by McDonald's (13,915), Powerade (12,777), and Lay's (12,087). All four brands are official partners of Fifa, and Powerade is owned by Coca-Cola. In response to the findings, Fifa stated that most of its revenue is reinvested into football, including projects that promote health and wellbeing. A Fifa spokesperson said the organization works with a wide range of global partners, all of which are subject to Fifa's governance and compliance standards. They also highlighted their social impact campaigns, such as "Be Active," which aimed to spread messages of unity, inclusion, health, and friendship during the World Cup. BBC Sport contacted Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and PepsiCo—which owns Lay's—but did not receive a response. The study also looked at other forms of potentially harmful advertising and found that junk food and drink promotions were far more common than those for alcohol, prediction markets, gambling, or cryptocurrency. Researchers argue that repeatedly linking unhealthy food and drink brands with football, excitement, and national identity can make these brands familiar and normalize their consumption. Since October 2025, foods like burgers, chips, crisps, and sugary drinks have been banned from TV advertising before 9pm in the UK. However, ads during matches appear on stadium boards and are part of an international event, which is not covered by the legislation. This means that viewers can see ads for unhealthy foods during hours when they are theoretically banned, leading to calls for more global cooperation. Greg Fell, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, pointed out that the current legislation has a loophole and stressed the need for worldwide collaboration to address the global crisis of childhood obesity. The UK government has recently updated school dinner rules, banning deep-fried food and increasing the inclusion of fruits, vegetables, fiber, and whole grains to combat childhood obesity. According to the NHS, data from 2024 showed that 15% of children in the UK were obese, and 26% were overweight. Dr. Elisa Becker, one of the study's co-authors, said that the world's largest sporting event is filled with marketing for unhealthy food and drinks, which contradicts the role of sport in promoting health. She emphasized that sport should be part of the solution to poor health, not a powerful advertising platform for unhealthy products.