As North America is on high alert with World Cup fever, the different time zones of each national team interfere with the sleep schedules of soccer fans, but who’s going to suffer the most to cheer on their local heroes?
The time difference between football fans in North Africa compared to other faraway countries around the world has caused many sleepless nights and lethargy in the exciting competition of the sport. To follow the biggest World Cup ever, in real time, there seems to be heavy eyelids among soccer fans who have abandoned their slumber this summer. To take this into account, statisticians in LiveScore.com analyzed the 48 teams that qualified for the World Cup group stage and calculated which fans could suffer the most sleep deprivation.
Which World Cup fans slept the most in the group stage?
To determine the potential for lost sleep, LiveScore.com looked at the 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. sleep window for each qualifying nation and then subtracted 2 hours and 45 minutes from that window wherever play was interrupted. The 2 hours and 45 minutes was specifically chosen because it covers 15 minutes before kick-off, two hours of playing time and then 30 minutes for post-match interviews and commentary. For countries with multiple time zones, the average of their home time zone was used. Of course, “Possibility of Lost Sleep” means potential disruption, not confirmed lost sleep, but it gives a picture of what happens when standardizing in each country.
In terms of the most disturbed sleep in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, Algeria leads with 8.25 hours, followed by Tunisia with 7.75 hours and Iraq with 7 hours. Here are the full results:
| Degree | Team | Group | Disturbed sleep | The total possibility of sleep was lost |
| 1 | Algeria | J | 3 | 8.25 |
| 2 | Tunisia | F | 2 | 7.75 hours |
| 3 | Iraq | I | 2 | 7.00 |
| 4 | Norway | I | 2 | 6.00 |
| 5 | Czechia | A | 2 | 5.50 |
| 6 | Sweden | F | 2 | 5.50 |
| 7 | DR Congo | K | 2 | 5.50 |
| 8 | Saudi Arabia | H | 2 | 5.50 |
Supporters of Algerian football were denied the most cover, as all three of their group games were played at night local time, meaning fans would have to set their alarms to wake up to watch the Fennecs.
Seven other nations, including Scotland, Norway, Sweden, DR Congo and Saudi Arabia, had two nights’ sleep before the play-offs, while a further 14 teams had one. But it’s not just being closer to North America that’s good for international fans. Being further away helps too, and Australia, New Zealand and South Korea all had significantly easier start times.
Do knockout stage games cause even more sleep deficits?
The total amount of sleep lost soccer fans will keep with their home team will depend on how far they make it out of the knockout stages, but with Algeria already in the last 32, the team is set to play Switzerland on Friday, July 3 at 8:00 p.m. Vancouver time. This game starts at 4 am in Algeria.
Tunisian fans should not raise alarm as their team was eliminated in the group stage just like Iraq. But for Algeria and many of the rest of the struggling teams, the 2026 World Cup is a test of endurance for the fans as well as the players. Then there’s the separate matter of staying awake to question your teams tactics, but that’s another story.
