PHILADELPHIA, PA — A majority of U.S. workers who plan to follow the 2026 FIFA World Cup expect to increase their use of artificial intelligence tools to maintain productivity as matches overlap with the workday, according to survey results released by data analytics company Qlik.
The survey of 2,000 employed Americans who intend to watch or follow the tournament found that 90% are likely to watch matches during work hours, while 68% expect to delay, skip or reschedule meetings to accommodate live games.
At the same time, 65% said they anticipate increasing their use of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Microsoft Copilot during the tournament. About one-third said their AI usage would increase significantly.
The findings suggest employers may face a test of whether AI can offset productivity disruptions caused by a major global sporting event scheduled largely during U.S. business hours.
More than half of respondents, 53%, said they expect their productivity to increase during the tournament, compared with 12% who expect it to decline. Nearly half, 49%, said they would use AI tools to catch up on missed work, while 41% said they would compensate by working outside normal business hours.
The survey found employees are planning to remain engaged with the tournament throughout the workday. Fifty-eight percent said they expect to check scores and updates during working hours, while 54% said they plan to multitask while watching matches. Nearly one-quarter said they intend to take paid time off to attend games in person.
Among workers who expect disruptions, AI appears to be the preferred tool for managing workloads. Respondents said they would use AI to draft emails and written updates faster (38%), prioritize tasks (38%), prepare reports and analysis (37%), summarize meetings they missed (37%), and catch up on delayed work (36%).
“The World Cup landing in North America isn’t just a cultural moment, it’s one of the first large-scale, predictable tests of whether AI can actually protect productivity when the workday gets disrupted,” said James Fisher, chief strategy officer at Qlik. “Employees are already planning to use it to catch up, reprioritize and keep work moving around matches.”
The survey also found generational differences in both World Cup viewing habits and AI adoption.
Ninety-four percent of Generation Z respondents and 92% of Millennials said they are likely to watch matches during work hours, compared with 56% of Generation X respondents and 27% of Baby Boomers. Seventy percent of Gen Z workers and 69% of Millennials expect their AI use to increase during the tournament, compared with 56% of Gen X respondents and 27% of Baby Boomers.
Despite growing adoption, AI usage remains uneven. One-third of respondents said their use of AI tools will remain unchanged during the World Cup, while 10% said they would not use AI for work-related tasks even if tournament viewing disrupted their schedules.
Employee expectations around workplace flexibility were mixed. Thirty-eight percent said they expect employers to allow World Cup viewing while maintaining normal work expectations. Another 27% anticipate schedule adjustments or other flexibility measures, while 15% expect increased monitoring or restrictions.
The survey was conducted by Censuswide between May 11 and May 18, 2026, among 2,000 U.S. employees aged 18 and older who said they plan to follow or watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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