The 2026 World Cup is underway, and excitement is reaching a fever pitch. Not only is it soccer’s largest-ever tournament, with a record 48 teams from around the world playing 104 matches; it’s shaping up to be the biggest sporting event in history.

With so many matches, viewers are struggling to find their teams, and Roku’s research shows that 61% of them dislike having to switch between various streaming services to watch different content. Fans need a simple way to follow the action.

With that in mind, earlier this month Roku launched a dedicated Soccer Zone, making it effortless to discover and stream every match and stay on top of all the World Cup action. The world will be watching, and as a nation of sports lovers, so will Canada. Viewing figures from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar show that millions of Canadians tuned into the tournament.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in numbers:

• • 24 million unique Canadian viewers watched some of the tournament, representing 62% of the population. (Bell Media)
• • 10 million Canadians watched Argentina take on France in the final – a 15% increase over the 2018 FIFA World Cup. (NLogic)
• • 4.8 million viewers on average watched the final – 23% more than in 2018. (Bell Media)

And soccer is just the beginning. Roku also launched the Roku Sports Zone, bringing together content across every major sport – from football and basketball to baseball, hockey and more – all in one easy-to-navigate destination. With dedicated Zones for individual sports planned in the months ahead, fans can spend more time cheering and less time searching for the big game. For advertisers, it means year-round access to passionate, engaged audiences – no matter the sport or the season.

The live-streaming audience is growing for sports and beyond

Roku’s annual study into streaming preferences and behaviour in Canada, 2026 VOD Evolution, found that 85% of Canadians are now streaming TV. And streaming appears to be satisfying all of their TV needs – even those once fulfilled by cable – with almost half (48%) saying they had not watched cable in the past month.

Roku VOD Evolution Canada 2026 Study.

The majority of viewers (56%) now watch live and scheduled channels through streaming platforms, and 43% watch cable channels through these services. With more Canadians cutting the cord and every match streaming on TSN, more fans than ever are expected to stream the World Cup tournament live.

This presents a unique opportunity for advertisers to reach an engaged audience, have their brand surround World Cup content, and target growing fandoms on Roku. And while the World Cup is a landmark moment, the opportunity for brands extends far beyond soccer.

One destination for fans, one opportunity for brands

Sports streaming is fragmented, and with leagues scattered across different apps and services, fans are frustrated just trying to find the game. Roku’s research found that more than half of viewers (54%) never know which streaming service has the content they’re looking for, while 59% are annoyed that their favourite shows and movies are spread across multiple subscription TV services.

Roku VOD Evolution Canada 2026 Study.

To create a seamless fan experience, Roku launched a centralized Sports Zone that takes viewers directly to the live match or on-demand content, solving both audience frustration and fragmentation. By bringing together all the sports content viewers are looking for in one place – including games, highlights and replays – the Roku Sports Zone offers a hub for fans and brand-building opportunities for advertisers. No more switching platforms and scrolling menus to find the right matches – it’s all on the Roku Sports Zone.

Leading brands are already showing up where fans are watching. Amazon, Dairy Queen, DoorDash, FanDuel and Heinz are all featured sponsors on the Roku Canada Soccer Zone. And they’re finding that this targeted approach drives measurable business outcomes.

As Heinz notes: “Our sponsorship of Roku’s Soccer Zone allows us to tap into one of our targets’ passion points in an innovative and engaging way. Connected TV is an increasingly important part of our brand media plans, providing us with incremental, unduplicated reach.”

For Dairy Queen, the Soccer Zone presents a unique opportunity to capture viewer attention and drive product discovery: “This partnership allows us to tap into Roku’s growing footprint in Canada while aligning the DQ brand with an innovative platform that’s reshaping how Canadians watch sports,” says Cheryl Niziolomski, digital & direct marketing senior manager at Dairy Queen.

DentsuX has also benefited. “With the World Cup capturing widespread interest, it offers a strong opportunity for DQ to connect with fans during key cultural moments and stay relevant when attention is at its peak,” says planning director Amali Senarath Yapa. “It allows us to connect with consumers in high-energy environments where they’re already engaged, social, and more open to discovering new products and flavours.”

For advertisers, the Roku Sports Zone transforms passive viewership into active brand engagement. Your brand is woven into the entire fan journey – from finding the game to watching the final play – and reach audiences in the moments that matter most. With targeting powered by Roku’s exclusive first-party and behavioural data, you’re not just reaching sports fans – you’re reaching your fans. Now that’s what we call home advantage.

Don’t miss this moment. Get in touch to learn how your brand can score big with the Roku Sports Zone – and the dedicated Zones launching in the months ahead.

Roku is Canada’s number one streaming platform by hours streamed (Hypothesis Group, Q4 2024) and the highest-selling smart TV OS in the country (Circana, 2024).