World Cup football matches dominate trends: The FIFA World Cup 2026 deeply engages South African fans with major matches such as Spain vs Saudi Arabia, India vs South Africa, Uruguay vs Cape Ver
Archived Pulse in South Africa
Country pulse digest
Monday, June 22, 2026
Archived Pulse in South Africa
South African online interest is dominated by intense followings of key 2026 FIFA World Cup matches and strong engagement with immigration enforcement issues in Johannesburg.
Active topics
19
Search volume
163.5K
Leading topic
Sports
Attention mix
What the country is searching
19
Sports53% (10)
Politics11% (2)
Money11% (2)
Entertainment11% (2)
Technology5% (1)
Culture5% (1)
World5% (1)
Why people are curious
People in South Africa are primarily curious about following major international sports events, particularly the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches featuring local and prominent global teams, seeking to stay updated with scores, player performances, and tournament implications. There is also strong intent to understand political developments such as the immigration crackdown in Johannesburg, reflecting a need for explanations of governmental actions and their societal impact. Meanwhile, the public's attention to culture includes debating potential changes to UK television licence policies that could affect streaming service costs, indicating concern about media consumption expenses.
What to know now
The pulse, explained
Immigration crackdown in Johannesburg garners attention: A strong interest in South Africa's immigration crackdown in Johannesburg reflects concerns on policy and social impacts.
Possible extension of TV licence fee sparks cultural discussion: Public debate intensifies over the UK government's potential expansion of the television licence fee to cover streaming services like Netflix and Ama
Capitec Bank's financial performance in focus: Capitec Bank's rising profits and executive changes attract financial interest amidst South Africa's competitive banking sector.
Fuel supply and quality concerns prompt increased searches: Gasoline-related searches spike amid fuel supply disruptions in Crimea and quality issues affecting consumers globally.
Ranked searches
What people are curious about in South Africa
The leading searches, their context, and the related questions forming around them.
01
TechnologyDeclining
export
100+ searches, 400% growth.
100+ searches · 400% growthLast seen 20 days ago
02
SportsDeclining
spain national football team vs saudi arabia national football team standings
People are searching for updates and standings on the Spain vs Saudi Arabia national football teams during the World Cup.
50K+ searches · 1,000% growthLast seen 20 days ago
spain
03
PoliticsDeclining
south africa immigration crackdown johannesburg
There is growing interest in understanding the immigration crackdown in Johannesburg, South Africa.
20K+ searches · 1,000% growthLast seen 20 days ago
04
CultureDeclining
television licence
Users are searching about potential changes to the UK television licence fee affecting streaming services like Netflix and Amazon.
20K+ searches · 1,000% growthLast seen 20 days ago
05
SportsDeclining
india vs south africa
The India vs South Africa Women's T20 World Cup cricket match featured a standout performance by Marizanne Kapp, leading South Africa to a six-wicket victory.
20K+ searches · 1,000% growthLast seen 20 days ago
indw vs sa-wmarizanne kapp
06
SportsDeclining
uruguay vs cabo verde
The Uruguay vs Cape Verde FIFA World Cup 2026 match attracted attention as Cape Verde scored their first-ever World Cup goal during the game held in Miami.
10K+ searches · 1,000% growthLast seen 20 days ago
cape verde vs uruguaycape verde fc
07
SportsDeclining
tunisia national football team vs japan national football team standings
Japan defeated Tunisia 4-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking the tournament's 1,000th game and eliminating Tunisia from contention.
10K+ searches · 1,000% growthLast seen 20 days ago
tunisiajapan
08
SportsDeclining
belgium
People are searching for updates and analysis on the Belgium vs Iran 2026 World Cup soccer match.
10K+ searches · 1,000% growthLast seen 20 days ago
iran vs belgiumbelgium vs iran prediction
09
SportsDeclining
teboho mokoena suspension bafana
There is notable curiosity about Teboho Mokoena's suspension from the Bafana Bafana team.
5K+ searches · 1,000% growthLast seen 20 days ago
10
MoneyDeclining
capitec bank
Interest is rising in Capitec Bank's recent financial performance and corporate developments.
5K+ searches · 1,000% growthLast seen 20 days ago
11
MoneyDeclining
gasoline
There is a significant surge in searches about gasoline due to various supply and quality issues affecting consumers worldwide.
5K+ searches · 1,000% growthLast seen 20 days ago
12
SportsDeclining
uruguay vs cape verde
People are actively following the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between Uruguay and Cape Verde with attention to match events and weather conditions.
2K+ searches · 1,000% growthLast seen 20 days ago
uruguay world cup
Technology / Worrying | 20 days ago
Why it matters
DecliningThis topic was last observed 20 days ago and is no longer part of the current pulse, backed by 100+ recorded searches. People are searching to understand a possible risk or disruption.
Last seen 20 days ago
Reporting and context
Source coverage helping explain why this topic is moving.
'They’re politically naive': The political fight behind Anthropic’s export controls - Politico
China tightens indium export checks as AI demand increases - Reuters
Explosion as Qatar restarts gas export terminal hurts 54 and leaves 18 missing - AP News
China Places Two US Rare Earths Producers on Export Control List - Bloomberg
Developing | China adds 10 US firms to export control list, restricts 46 others - South China Morning Post
The wider weekly pattern
Curiosity trail
Related searches that led here, appeared alongside it, or followed.