Although Thailand's national team will not participate in the 2026 World Cup, most respondents among Thairath Online readers said their reason for watching is to follow the form of the top favorite teams and to see performances of both veteran and new superstars.
According to a Thairath poll conducted among Thairath Online readers about watching the 2026 World Cup, titled “Checking the Temperature: How Late Will the 2026 World Cup Kick Off – Can Fans Stay Up or Just Watch Highlights?” the poll received the highest number of responses, totaling 876 participants.
When asked what makes "must-watch" the top three reasons were close in percentage: wanting to watch the form of the favorite World Cup teams at 27.71%, following the performance of players from clubs they support at 26.68%, and enjoying the atmosphere and colors at 26.00%. This was followed by interest due to pop culture trends such as the opening ceremony and Lisa at 10.15%, and watching just because it's trending at 9.46%.
Since Thailand's national team is not in this World Cup, the reasons for cheering included: primarily watching for fun without supporting any specific team at 28.85%, wanting to see the last World Cup appearances of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar at 22.63%, closely followed by watching current superstars like Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Bruno Fernandes at 22.49%. Supporting a favorite team among the contenders was 11.54%, cheering for Japan or South Korea was 7.40%, and supporting underdogs or dark horses was 7.10%.
Regarding viewing platforms, free-to-air TV led at 41.26%, followed by watching only highlights or video summaries at 26.64%, licensed streaming apps at 15.85%, natural venues at 11.89%, and watching in establishments that broadcast the matches at 4.37%.
With many 2026 World Cup matches scheduled late at night or early morning, respondents said they cope mostly by watching only the major or important matches at 39.40%, followed by watching only highlights at 23.04%, sleeping first then waking up to watch at 12.94%, staying up all night to watch live at 9.10%, not watching at all at 8.82%, and watching reruns during the day at 6.69%.
Finally, from the perspective of Thairath Online readers, the teams most likely to win the 2026 World Cup are Spain leading at 18.70%, followed closely by France at 18.25%, Brazil at 13.12%, England at 12.82%, Argentina at 12.07%, Germany at 11.92%, Portugal at 8.60%, the Netherlands at 2.56%, Norway at 1.06%, and Belgium at 0.90%.
