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September 3, 2026Cardiology ResearchOpen Access

Watching the Game, Skipping the Hospital: World Cup Matches and Cardiovascular Hospitalizations

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Why the study?

Do Brazil World Cup match days reduce acute myocardial infarction and heart failure hospitalizations in the Brazilian public health system?

Population

Brazilian population covered by the public health system, analyzed over 273 observation-days during three ±…

Comparison

Brazil national football team match days during… vs Non-match days within the same ± 30-day…

Design

Cohort

Follow-up

30 days before and 30 days after each tournament

Key result

Brazil World Cup match days were associated with a 7.0% reduction in acute myocardial infarction hospitalizations (IRR 0.930) and an 11.1% reduction in heart failure hospitalizations (IRR 0.889).

Authors

RARobert AdesVSVlad Shusterman

Discussion

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Overview

Observational World Cup data suggest event-linked shifts in AMI/HF admissions; leaves open causal role of behavioral triggers.

Key Points

  • To evaluate the impact of national FIFA World Cup matches on daily acute myocardial infarction and heart failure hospital admissions in Brazil.
  • Analyzed daily hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction (ICD-10 I21) and heart failure (ICD-10 I50) using the Brazilian national hospital information system (SIH-SUS) within ±30-day windows around the 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cups.
  • Used negative binomial regression models to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) comparing Brazil match days to non-match days, adjusting for day of the week, month, and year fixed effects.
  • Acute myocardial infarction hospitalizations decreased by 7.0% on match days relative to non-match days (IRR 0.930, 95% CI 0.898–0.962, P < 0.001).
  • Heart failure hospitalizations decreased by 11.1% on match days compared to non-match days (IRR 0.889, 95% CI 0.855–0.925, P < 0.001).

Study Design

Type

Observational

Structured PICO

Do Brazil World Cup match days reduce acute myocardial infarction and heart failure hospitalizations in the Brazilian public health system?

P
Population
Daily national counts of acute myocardial infarction and heart failure hospitalizations in Brazil over 273 observation-days during the 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cup tournaments.
E
Exposure
Brazil national football team match days during the 2014, 2018, and 2022 FIFA World Cups (17 match days total).
C
Comparator
Non-match days within the same ± 30-day tournament windows (256 non-match days).
O
Outcome
Daily counts of acute myocardial infarction (AMI, ICD-10 I21) and heart failure (HF, ICD-10 I50) hospitalizations from the Brazilian national hospital information system (SIH-SUS).hard clinical

Main Result

Relative Risk: 0.93 (95% CI 0.898–0.962)

Absolute Event Rate: 327% vs 348%

p-value: p=<0.001

Major sporting events like the World Cup are associated with significant transient reductions in cardiovascular hospitalizations, likely reflecting altered healthcare-seeking behavior rather than a true decrease in acute cardiovascular events.

Limitations

  • SIH-SUS captures public-sector admissions (approximately 75% of the population), which may not fully represent privately insured patients
  • The analysis is ecological at the national level and cannot account for regional variation in match viewership or cardiovascular risk
  • The limited number of Brazil match days (17 across three tournaments) restricts statistical precision
  • SIH-SUS captures inpatient admissions rather than all ED encounters, limiting the ability to determine effects on symptom onset or emergency presentation
  • Cannot assess out-of-hospital deaths or population-level mortality
  • Cannot directly measure emotional arousal or stress during match broadcasts
  • Captures inpatient admissions rather than all ED encounters, meaning it cannot determine if match days affected symptom onset, emergency presentation, or admission decisions, nor can it assess out-of-hospital deaths

Cite This Study

Ades et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Acute myocardial infarction and heart failure. Brazil World Cup match days vs. Non-match days within the same ± 30-day tournament window was evaluated on Daily acute myocardial infarction (AMI) hospitalizations (IRR 0.930, 95% CI 0.898-0.962, p=<0.001). Brazil World Cup match days were associated with a 7.0% reduction in acute myocardial infarction hospitalizations (IRR 0.930) and an 11.1% reduction in heart failure hospitalizations (IRR 0.889).

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9934cf636c6408cfa7c92dhttps://doi.org/10.14740/cr2271
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