As North America finds itself on high alert with World Cup fever, the differing time zones of each National team is wreaking havoc with many soccer fan’s sleep schedules, but who is set to suffer the most in order to cheer on their local heroes?
The time difference between soccer supporters who are in North Africa, compared to other far-flung countries across the globe, has been the reason for a lot of sleepless nights, leading to lethargy during the sport’s most thrilling tournament. To follow the biggest World Cup ever, in real time, there have been plenty of heavy eyelids among football fans who have chosen to forego their sleep to keep up with every game this summer. To put this into perspective, the statisticians at LiveScore.com analyzed the 48 teams that were confirmed for World Cup group-stage fixtures, and calculated which fans could face the biggest sleep deficit.
Which World Cup Fans Lost the Most Sleep During the Group Stage?
To determine sleep opportunity lost, LiveScore.com looked at an 11pm to 7 p.m. sleep window for each country qualified and then removed 2 hours and 45 minutes out of that window wherever a game interfered. 2 hours and 45 minutes was chosen specifically, because it covers the 15 minutes before kickoff, a two-hour match slot, and then 30 minutes for post-match interview and commentary. For countries that contain multiple time zones, an average of their main civil time zone was used. Of course, “Sleep opportunity lost” means potential disruption rather than confirmed lost sleep, but it provides a picture of what’s happening when standardized across each country.
In terms of the most disrupted sleeps at the World Cup 2026 group stage, this was led by Algeria with 8.25 hours lost, followed by Tunisia with 7.75 hours, and Iraq with 7 hours lost sleeping time. Here are the full results:
| Rank | Team | Group | Disrupted sleeps | Total sleep opportunity lost |
| 1 | Algeria | J | 3 | 8.25 hours |
| 2 | Tunisia | F | 2 | 7.75 hours |
| 3 | Iraq | I | 2 | 7.00 hours |
| 4 | Norway | I | 2 | 6.00 hours |
| 5 | Czechia | A | 2 | 5.50 hours |
| 6 | Sweden | F | 2 | 5.50 hours |
| 7 | DR Congo | K | 2 | 5.50 hours |
| 8 | Saudi Arabia | H | 2 | 5.50 hours |
Algerian soccer supported were denied the most shut eye because all three of their group matches took place during the night in local time, meaning fans would need to set an alarm in order to wake up to watch the Fennecs.
A further seven nations, including Scotland, Norway, Sweden, DR Congo and Saudi Arabia, had two disrupted nights’ sleep prior to the knockout stages, while am additional 14 teams had one nights’ sleep ruined. But it’s not just being closer to North America that is advantageous for international fans. Being further away helps too, and Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea all enjoyed significantly easier kick-off times.
Will Knockout Stage Matches Create Even Bigger Sleep Deficits?
The total amount of sleep opportunity lost for football followers who are keeping up with their home team will depend on how far they make it through the knockout stages, but with Algeria qualifying for the final 32, the team is set to face Switzerland on Friday, July 3 at 8 p.m .Vancouver time. That game involves an eye opening kickoff time of 4 a.m. back in Algeria.
Tunisian fans will not have to set the alarms, because their team was eliminated at the group stage, as was Iraq. But for Algeria and many remaining teams with challenging start times, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is an endurance test for the fans as well as the players. Then there’s the separate issue of staying awake to question your teams tactics, but that is another story entirely.