World Cup sparks tourism interest in Cape Verde, Czechia, DR Congo

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has significantly boosted global interest in travel to several lesser-known football nations, with Cape Verde recording the biggest surge in holiday-related online searches during the tournament, according to a new analysis by ActionNetwork.com.

The study, which examined worldwide Google search trends for all 48 countries that participated in the World Cup, found that Cape Verde experienced the sharpest increase in travel-related searches, highlighting the tournament’s growing influence on tourism.

According to the analysis, searches for “Cape Verde vacation” soared by 4,600 per cent during the World Cup compared with the period immediately before the tournament, while searches for “cheap flights Cape Verde” increased by 4,200 per cent.

Czechia recorded the third-highest increase, with searches for “Czechia holiday” rising by 3,100 per cent. The Democratic Republic of Congo followed, with searches for “DR Congo flights” climbing by 2,785 per cent, while searches for “cheap flights Haiti” increased by 2,400 per cent.

Côte d’Ivoire also featured prominently in the rankings. Searches for “Ivory Coast holiday” rose by 2,250 per cent, while searches for flights and cheap flights to the West African nation increased by 1,400 per cent and 1,200 per cent respectively.

Senegal emerged as the most consistently searched destination among the countries analysed, appearing four times in the list of the 15 biggest increases. Searches for “Senegal vacation” rose by 1,725 per cent, while “best time to visit Senegal”, “cheap flights Senegal” and “Senegal holiday” all recorded increases of more than 1,000 per cent.

Haiti also recorded another notable increase, with searches for “Haiti vacation” rising by 1,038 per cent.

Commenting on the findings, an ActionNetwork.com spokesperson said the data suggests that successful World Cup campaigns can significantly enhance a country’s appeal as a tourist destination.

“Our analysis found that Cape Verde saw the biggest increase in holiday-related searches of any competing nation, while Czechia, DR Congo and Haiti also experienced remarkable growth in travel interest,” the spokesperson said.

“What is particularly striking is that lesser-known football nations, rather than already established tourist destinations, recorded the largest increases. This suggests that a strong World Cup performance can put a country on the travel map in ways that conventional tourism marketing often cannot.”

The analysis covered 392 travel-related search terms, including flights, holidays, vacations, cuisine and the best time to visit each participating nation.

Researchers compared average worldwide Google search interest during the World Cup, from June 11 to July 19, with search activity recorded during the preceding period of May 3 to June 10.

The report concluded that while established tourist destinations also experienced increases in travel-related searches, the tournament had a far greater impact on countries that previously attracted relatively lower levels of international travel interest, demonstrating football’s growing influence on global tourism patterns.