Roblox is bringing the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ to its platform in a big way. In partnership with FIFA, the online gaming platform — home to more than 150 million users worldwide — is launching the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Event Hub, marking the largest official sports event in the platform's history.
The hub is a major overhaul of "FIFA Super Soccer," Roblox's official FIFA virtual home, transforming it into a real-time companion experience that runs in parallel with the actual tournament. It will feature all 48 national teams competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, recreations of the official stadiums, in-game quests, exclusive player rewards, and live standings and scoreboards tied to actual match results.
Beyond "FIFA Super Soccer," the event will extend across six games in total, pulling in five other popular titles on the platform for a large-scale crossover event. This setup aims to give fans around the world a shared digital space to play, compete, and collect rewards while the real tournament unfolds.
FIFA already has a strong presence on Roblox. To date, its official content on the platform has accumulated more than 1.1 billion total visits, with an average of 1.5 million daily play sessions. Previous collaborations have included activations with Adidas, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), U.S. Soccer, and Borussia Dortmund, with more content partnerships planned.
New Research: How Gen Z Engages with Sports on Roblox
In connection with the event, Roblox has released a new report, Sports as Shared Self-Expression, produced in partnership with research firm Ipsos. The report explores how Gen Z users connect with sports through digital spaces and what that means for their real-world engagement.
Sports on Roblox by the numbers:
- 1.1 billion hours spent on sports experiences on Roblox in H2 2025 (up 154% year-over-year)
- 5.6 billion visits to Roblox sports experiences in H2 2025
Source: Roblox first-party data, H2 2025, global data. Matt Preston.
How Roblox drives real-world sports interest:
- 61% of respondents said engaging with sports on Roblox makes them more likely to watch that sport in real life
- 68% said their real-world interest in sports drives them to Roblox sports content
- 58% said they discovered a new sport on Roblox and went on to follow it in the real world
Source: 2026 Roblox Digital Expression Report with Ipsos. Wave 4 – Sports Deep Dive. Survey period: March 23–30, 2026. Gen Z Roblox users aged 13–28, n=1,100. United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Japan.
Among Gen Z overall, soccer is already highly popular — 72% of respondents said they watch soccer at least once a week, and 26% of those said they plan to follow it more closely over the next five years.
The research also points to a broader shift in how younger fans experience sports fandom. For Gen Z and Gen Alpha, it is no longer confined to stadiums or match days. Instead, it has become social, interactive, and digital — with platforms like Roblox playing a central role in how fans express their support, connect with friends, and experience soccer culture in real time.
Japan Findings
Japan stood out among the four surveyed countries (the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, and Japan) as the market with the highest spending per user and a strong orientation toward athletes.
- Active fans drive high engagement and spending: Only 59% of Gen Z users in Japan identify as active sports fans — the lowest share among the four countries — but those who are engaged show exceptionally high levels of commitment and willingness to spend.
- Top leagues followed: Among Gen Z Roblox users in Japan, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) ranked first at 78%, followed by FIFA content (74%), MLB (74%), NBA (54%), F1 (38%), and the SV League (volleyball) at 27%.
- Sports they want to play on Roblox: Soccer topped the list at 71%, followed by baseball/softball (62%), basketball (48%), and volleyball (31%).
- Athlete appearances: 57% of Japanese respondents said they look forward to top athletes appearing on Roblox — the highest figure among all four surveyed countries.
- Avatar apparel spending: 92% of Japanese users said they would spend at least ¥150 per month on sports-related avatar apparel, and more than half (53%) said they would spend ¥3,000 or more per month, highlighting a notably strong appetite for virtual self-expression in the Japanese market.
