The just-ended 2026 FIFA World Cup became the most searched tournament in Google’s history in Kenya as fans looked beyond match results to football technology, fan culture and the sport’s biggest personalities.
Google search data shows interest extended beyond scores and fixtures, with fans searching for public viewing venues, the science behind the official match ball and football traditions.
Argentina’s dramatic stoppage-time winner against Egypt in the Round of 16 triggered Google’s highest-ever search traffic globally, setting a new record for queries per second.
“Throughout the tournament, Kenyans turned to Google Search to follow the biggest matches, and to explore the traditions, technology, personalities and moments that defined football’s biggest spectacle,” said Google.
The World Cup ran from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, drawing billions of viewers and unprecedented online engagement.
In Kenya, France versus Morocco emerged as the most searched match during the tournament, ahead of Brazil against Norway and Brazil against Japan.
Norway’s clash with England ranked fourth among the country’s most searched fixtures, followed by Portugal against Spain.
Searches for public World Cup viewing venues rose by 700 percent during the final two weeks as fans increasingly sought communal spaces to watch decisive knockout matches.
Interest in “World Cup finale watch parties” also jumped 160 percent in the days leading to the final.
“Over the past two weeks of the tournament, searches for public World Cup viewings surged by 700 percent, highlighting the growing appetite to experience the competition together at fan parks, restaurants and other viewing venues across the country,” wrote the tech giant in its report.
The jumps highlight the growing popularity of organised fan parks and entertainment venues that have increasingly become central to major sporting events.
Football traditions also attracted growing curiosity among Kenyan fans during the month-long competition.
Searches for “La Ola”, popularly known as the Mexican wave, rose 130 percent compared with the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Kenyan searches also reflected sustained interest in African football stars competing on the world stage.
Egyptian captain Mohamed Salah emerged as the most searched African footballer in Kenya during the tournament.
Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha ranked second, followed by South African midfielder Jayden Adams.
Moroccan nationals Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari completed the list of the country’s five most searched African players.
The data shows that global football icons continued dominating online attention throughout the competition, with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Ferran Torres ranked among Kenya’s most searched footballers during the tournament.
“Kenyans searched for Lionel Messi only 10 percent more than Cristiano Ronaldo during the World Cup. The GOAT debate is still alive!” said Google.
“Searches for ‘Who is the GOAT of football?’ increased 200 percent during the World Cup.”
Beyond players and matches, Kenyan fans increasingly searched for information explaining the technology behind modern football.
Searches related to the official FIFA World Cup match ball surged 290 percent during the tournament’s opening week.
Overall interest in the official match ball was also 10 percent higher than during the 2022 World Cup.
Many users searched for technical questions rather than product specifications, with popular searches including the type of air inside the official ball and how it is manufactured.
Others wanted to know whether the match ball is rechargeable and how it is charged.
Other searches also focused on the cost of the official World Cup ball and what distinguishes it from ordinary footballs.
The findings highlight growing consumer interest in sports technology alongside traditional football content.
Google said the search trends demonstrate that online engagement increasingly extends beyond live match coverage into wider curiosity about the sport.
