Flashscore has emerged as the leader in perceived speed for live sports results among fans in the UK, Italy, and Brazil, according to a commissioned survey released Tuesday. The findings come just weeks before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off on June 11 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Survey Highlights
The poll, conducted among thousands of sports enthusiasts, revealed that 46% of UK respondents, 49% of Italian users, and 53% of Brazilian fans rated Flashscore as the fastest platform for live updates. In Italy, the service operates under the Diretta brand. The survey compared Flashscore against national broadcasters' own apps, with Flashscore outpacing them in all three markets.
Technical Edge
The Prague-based company attributes its speed to a 2024 upgrade of its data center, which tripled processing power, and a distributed cloud model that reduces latency by situating resources closer to end users. Flashscore reported handling 34 million users during a major Champions League matchday this season, sending 700 million notifications and processing up to 1.3 million requests per second.
Accuracy and Competition
While Flashscore led on speed, accuracy results were mixed. Italian users ranked it ahead of rivals for precision, but in the UK and Brazil, respondents saw it as roughly on par with alternatives. Competitors include SofaScore, FotMob, and BBC Sport's app, though the survey did not name them directly. Flashscore's parent group, Livesport, reported over 125 million monthly users across its network of more than 70 sites, with total monthly actives exceeding 155 million and app downloads north of 400 million.
Market Context
Timing is critical as the World Cup approaches. FIFA's 2022 tournament reached 5 billion people, underscoring how latency—the delay between on-field action and notification—becomes a key commercial metric. In January, FIFA selected Stats Perform as its inaugural official distributor for betting data and streaming rights for the 2026 men's World Cup, tightening control over live data.
Flashscore's director of engineering, Tomáš Kavka, downplayed any 'magic technology,' stating, 'Speed is in our DNA,' while noting that serving South American users from Europe adds precious seconds. The survey, however, measures perception rather than technical latency, which can vary based on mobile networks, device settings, and traffic spikes during key moments.
