As World Cup 2026 is set to get underway, publishers are facing a good deal of uncertainty when it comes to how this global event will be presented on the rapidly evolving Google SERP. The Winter Olympics offered some helpful indicators. Based on our Trisolute News Dashboard analysis, here’s the shift we noted on the Google SERP for Winter Olympics coverage: 

“Google appears to be shifting sporting event search into something closer to a live database interface powered by entities rather than a traditional keyword search experience. Users type the event name, and Google surfaces the structured record for that event based on its knowledge graph. Keywords still drive a considerable amount of rankings, but including entity-based tactics in your overall search strategy for major sporting events will be key moving forward.”

To conduct a World Cup preview analysis, we used Google Trends to identify the top World Cup keywords by country over the past week. We looked at Mobile News Box visibility data for the past month as well as the past week to capture how the SERP is shifting when it comes to publisher visibility.  As expected, the top keywords for now are broad and general World Cup terms, such as “world cup schedule” and “world cup tickets.” As matches get underway, we’ll likely see a rise in search visibility for specific players and teams. Below is a keyword analysis snapshot from English-speaking countries.

We also captured mobile SERP share of voice and desktop AI Mode data for a core set of World Cup keywords. We examined data across 5 countries. Below are the data snapshots by country, followed by insights for publishers.

Click to enlarge the images below.

AI Overviews and AI Mode

We’re seeing limited impact so far from AI Overviews and AI Mode for the core World Cup keyword set. Reviewing the AIO data for the countries in this preview analysis, Germany had the most AIOs at 3 percent. Below is a roundup of the top cited publishers in AI Mode results for World Cup keywords across several countries over the past week. We’ll continue to monitor and share if Google increases the frequency of its AI search features for the World Cup once matches get underway.

Insights for publishers

Search visibility will be more competitive than ever before. The SERP will look very different from past World Cup events. Take a look at the desktop SERP for keyword “world cup” from Monday June 8.

There’s the World Cup specific knowledge panel at the top, then People Also Ask, an organic link to FIFA’s official World Cup website and then finally, the Top Stories News Box. Google did sneak news publisher content into the knowledge panel, with CNN scoring visibility for its World Cup beginner’s guide. 

(FWIW, on the Mobile SERP the Top Stories News Box was directly below the Google panel.)

Prepare for the unexpected: No one knows exactly how Google’s AI search features will impact publisher visibility for the World Cup. We’d recommend looking back at Winter Olympics data for the most recent example of a global sporting event for insights on how Google might approach the World Cup.

Be prepared for the Top Stories News Box getting pushed down the SERP. 

Expect that visibility for explainers may get swallowed up in part by Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode.

Social platforms are likely to be featured heavily across the Google SERP. We saw strong visibility for the social-focused ranking types like “What people are saying” on the mobile SERP for this analysis.

Publishers who can deliver a stellar multimedia experience while demonstrating deep expertise have the best chance at earning Google visibility.

What worked in search strategy for prior World Cups may not work now. Cover the fundamentals that your audience expects, but keep your SEO workflows nimble and flexible to pivot as needed if something isn’t working. 

For example, while digging into early World Cup data in the Trisolute News Dashboard, we noted that these World Cup city websites were in the top 25 in Share of Voice over the past month. For the relevant cities, this offers local news publishers a trusted and well-optimized source to link to in localized World Cup coverage.

• https://nynjfwc26.com/
• https://kansascityfwc26.com/
• https://losangelesfwc26.com/
• https://phillyfwc26.com/

Lean into expertise: To gain Google visibility in a hyper-competitive event like the World Cup, knowing and showcasing your strengths as a publisher are essential. Sports publishers will want to dig into their rich expertise for true followers of the game while still providing enough broader interest content to attract casual fans. Large publishers with global audiences have the opportunity to provide a multi-cultural perspective. Entertainment and lifestyle publishers can focus on celebrity sightings, fashion, and other cultural trends. 

On the flip side, generalist publishers should laser focus on trending topics and be prepared to react quickly to breaking World Cup news. Closely monitor AI Overview and AI Mode impact when it comes to informational queries that once were a goldmine for explainers.

Over the past month, these World Cup topics have seen spiked in Google visibility:

• World Cup ticket prices
• World Cup ebola
• World Cup ICE
• World Cup politics

Make it a team effort: For tentpole events like the World Cup, it’s all hands on deck. Never has the Google SERP been more of a search-social-AI hybrid. Don’t forget about Discover and its role in surfacing trending World Cup content. With audience, search, multimedia, and tech product teams working together as a cohesive unit, you’ll have the best chance at assembling a winning multimodal search strategy to maintain strong visibility across Google’s search features.

Resources:

WTF is SEO: World Cup SEO: A last-minute guide

Trisolute analysis: The International News Coverage on the 2022 FIFA World Cup

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