World-class tournaments (like the FIFA World Cup for football or Wimbledon Championships in tennis) are exciting, but audience engagement can be uneven – peaking during big matches and dropping during off days. And then, once a trophy is presented, many casual fans stop following sports news altogether – until the next big championship comes. 

To build lasting relationships and maximize value, publishers need to keep attention warm and habits strong throughout the tournament lifecycle, especially when covering a wide range of content over several weeks.

Goal 

Sustain audience engagement from group stage to the final, ensuring ongoing interaction rather than spikes of interest.

Solution

Create a “Tournament hub” strategy – a mix of consistent daily notifications, highlighted content, and match reminders to help users build a habit of returning. Use push and on-site communication together to reinforce key messages without overloading any single channel.

Web and mobile push notifications

• Daily match digest: “Here’s what to watch today: Spain vs Serbia at 18:00. Check the lineups and pre-game stats.”

• Live alerts: “France 2:0 Finland! Mbappé puts France 2:0 against Finland in 67 minute. Watch the replay.”

Use the Topics feature to group your campaigns by subject, ensuring subscribers see only the latest message within each topic.

• Rest day teasers: “No games today? Let’s relive the 5 best goals of the tournament (so far).” 

• Post-match engagement: “What a comeback by Argentina! Vote for the best player on the pitch.”

• Timed reminders: use scheduling to send match-day reminders or editorial picks at optimal times (e.g. one hour before a key match).

Onsite notifications

Keep your audience engaged and encourage longer site visits throughout the tournament by delivering interactive updates directly on your pages:

• Provide live match stats, key moments, and editor’s picks that invite users to explore related articles and analysis.

• Use countdowns and reminders for upcoming matches that link to pre-match previews or fan polls, encouraging deeper engagement.

• Share recaps and highlight alerts with links to full videos or detailed summaries to keep users browsing and returning for more content.

Pop-ups

• Set pop-ups to appear on pages with match results, highlight reels, or post-game analysis - moments when user engagement and emotions are still high. For example, show a subscription pop-up on the "Match Recap" page or the day after a big win, encouraging users to subscribe to push or WhatsApp updates for future live coverage and exclusive content.

• Promote downloads of tournament guides or prediction sheets in exchange for contact details or opt-ins.

• Encourage visitors to play short quizzes or predict scores in exchange for gated content.

• Encourage users to participate in polls: “Who’s winning today – Italy or Germany? Cast your vote to see what others think!”

• Use exit-intent pop-ups to encourage users to follow live match coverage or subscribe before they leave the site.

WhatsApp channels

• Create a “Tournament digest” or “Daily recap” format for subscribed users.

• Share expert commentary, memes, and match reminders to maintain interest beyond your website or app.

Benefits

By using the full range of tools across different moments of the tournament:

• Publishers keep attention even on slow days or between matches.

• Audiences return for both utility (updates) and entertainment (quizzes, polls – if available).

• Reader engagement is turned into long-term loyalty and higher monetization potential.

Managing audience attention during long tournaments requires more than just news coverage – it needs consistent, emotionally engaging, and interactive communication. PushPushGo provides the tools to support this through the entire tournament period.