AI Search Hides World Cup Teams: New Index Reveals

Top football teams are largely invisible in AI-powered search, according to a new index. This comes as fans increasingly use AI instead of traditional search engines. What's interesting is that the AI Visibility World Tournament 2026 index, created by Sleeping Giant Media, shows elite national teams face a "total digital blackout" across platforms like ChatGPT Search and Google AI Overviews. The assessment looked at ten factors, including technical accessibility and content quality, to give each team a Generative Engine Optimisation Readiness Score out of 100. The average score for all 48 teams in the league was just 38 out of 100. This means not one of their websites is ready for AI search. Curaçao's football team had the most GEO-ready website, while Morocco's was the least ready. Even England, ranking 10th overall, scored only 40 out of 100. The bottom line is that even teams with huge marketing budgets are struggling to appear in AI search, which could leave local UK sports teams vulnerable to a digital blackout.