World Cup, Super Eagles’ AFCON heartbreak, others dominate Google searches

By Juliet Umeh
THE FIFA World Cup, the Super Eagles’ Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, heartbreak, the Blord-VDM saga and the mysterious “67” Gen Z meme were among the stories that scenic Nigerians rushing to Google in the first seven months of 2026.
Fresh Google Trends data covering January to July 2026 showed that Nigerians turned to the search engine to understand major sporting events, geopolitical tensions, celebrity controversies, deaths, internet culture and developments affecting their everyday lives.
“Every big story now has a second life in the search bar,” Google said in its review of the trends.
“When the Super Eagles lost a semi-final on penalties, when a strait most peop...