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In somewhat of an unusual move, internet provider TalkTalk has today attempted to predict which major dates and events in 2026 will drive the most traffic across their UK broadband network. For example, the ISP is forecasting up to an 8% surge in network usage during the 2026 World Cup’s initial stages and a 15% increase for the Grand Theft Auto 6 launch (16th Nov 2026).
Major broadband providers often attempt to forecast what kind of impact such events may have on their service, which helps them to plan an appropriate level of capacity and organise Content Delivery Networks (CDN) to avoid such things having an overly negative impact on their customer base.
Internet providers typically use sophisticated CDNs and traffic management systems to help manage the load from big online events, which caches popular content closer in the network to end-users (i.e. improves performance without adding network strain). This in turn lowers the provider’s impact on external links and helps to keep costs down.
Demand for data is of course constantly rising and home broadband connections are forever getting faster, thus new peaks of usage are being set all the time by every ISP. But it’s unusual to see an ISP publishing what sort of impact they expect to see from such events ahead of time.
Steve Wallage, Chief Product Officer at TalkTalk, said:
“Many aspects of everyday life will continue to be dependent on Wi-Fi and connectivity in 2026. A big driver of this is the ongoing switch to streaming over traditional broadcast media. This is also increasing device-agnostic viewing, meaning viewers can watch a TV series, sport and films on phones, tablets and laptops rather than being limited to a TV screen. Even when viewing on the TV, other devices are still being used for second-screening, as consumers use Wi-Fi on their phone or tablet to browse online or use social media at the same time as watching television.
We are already looking at the likely traffic spikes through 2026 to help us ensure customers have seamless connectivity throughout the year, whatever their usage demands. Football and gaming are typically the biggest drivers of traffic, and 2026 looks to be no different, with the World Cup featuring more teams and matches than ever before, and two huge gaming releases at the end of the year, including the first new Grand Theft Auto release for 13 years.”
Football typically dominates traffic spikes every year and 2026 being a World Cup year is only going to accelerate matters, with the tournament kicking off on 11th June through to 19th July. Hosted across the USA, Canada and Mexico, it’ll be the biggest tournament ever with the number of teams up from 32 to 48, increasing the number of matches from 64 to 104.
The location of the World Cup will also have a notable impact upon viewing. For UK fans, time differences will vary between 5 and 8 hours, meaning you could be watching any time from 9pm to as late as 4am depending on the game. This could shift fan behaviour, meaning less pub viewing for UK fans, and more early-morning home supporting or streaming highlights on personal devices during work or commute hours.
TalkTalk’s Network Usage Predictions for 2026
➤ 2026 World Cup (June to July): The ISP is predicting a potential initial increase of up to 8% in network usage around the opening ceremony and early group rounds, with rises expected during England, Scotland, and other home nation games.
As the tournament progresses, the knockout stages will see interest increase further, with a likely 10% traffic spike, culminating in an even bigger potential spike for the final on 19th July, and higher if England were to feature.
➤ UEFA Champions League: The knockout rounds from January through February historically see up to 15% higher network traffic, with major spikes directly tied to the success of UK teams such including Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City etc. The season culminates with the final on 30th May, which is likely to deliver a higher spike.
➤ Call of Duty 2026 Launch: Kicking off in late October to mid-November, the Call of Duty 2026 launch is expected to cause a significant spike, with previous titles driving a 10-12% rise in network usage.
➤ Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6: The ISP is predicting a 15% increase in network demand for this launch in mid-November 2026.
➤ Fortnite Chapter Finale: Finally, in late November, the climactic, once-a-year launch of Fortnite Chapter Finale is expected to drive a further surge of up to 12%.