The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the long-running feud between cryptocurrency entrepreneur Linus “Blord” Williams and social media activist Martins “VeryDarkMan” Otse were among the stories that generated significant Google search interest among Nigerians in the first seven months of 2026.
New Google Trends data released on Friday made available to PREMIUM TIMES provides a snapshot of the issues and personalities that captured Nigerians’ attention between January and July, spanning sports, international conflicts, entertainment, politics and internet culture.
According to Google, the rankings were determined by each story’s peak monthly search interest in Nigeria during the period, with related search queries grouped together.
The data, therefore, reflects topics experiencing significant increases in search interest rather than simply ranking the most commonly searched terms overall.
World Cup dominates
According to Google, no story generated as much search interest during the period as the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
Nigerians followed developments surrounding the tournament, from the Super Eagles’ campaign to individual players, participating countries and the final.
Search interest also extended to entertainment surrounding the tournament, including Burna Boy and Shakira’s opening-ceremony performance.
Norwegian national Erling Haaland generated increased Nigerian search interest in July, while France and Morocco were among teams whose performances attracted attention.
Football had already dominated Nigerian searches at the beginning of the year.
In January, searches surged around the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, with “Nigeria vs Morocco” emerging as a major query as Nigerians followed the Super Eagles’ semi-final against the hosts.
The match ended in a penalty-shootout defeat for Nigeria.
Searches relating to the AFCON final also attracted significant interest as Senegal eventually won the tournament.
Google’s data also recorded notable Nigerian interest in the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February, including searches relating to ice hockey.
Iran and Strait of Hormuz
International geopolitical developments also found their way into Nigerians’ search habits.
Searches for terms including “Iran news”, “Israel Iran war” and “Strait of Hormuz meaning” increased amid tensions involving Iran and developments around the strategically important waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz is particularly significant to the global energy market because a substantial share of internationally traded oil passes through it.
The connection had domestic relevance for Nigerians amid concerns about the effect of movements in global crude oil and petroleum-product markets on fuel prices.
Blord, VeryDarkMan feud
The dispute between Blord and VeryDarkMan was among the prominent personality-driven stories reflected in the search data.
Google said interest persisted for months and intensified around developments involving Blord, while searches for “Who is Blord” suggested that some users were encountering the controversy and the businessman for the first time.
The pair have been embroiled in a public dispute that has generated repeated social media conversations and controversies.
Deaths drive searches
The deaths of several entertainment personalities also prompted Nigerians to turn to Google.
According to the data supplied by Google, searches surrounding singer Destiny Boy increased following news of his death in January and subsequent developments concerning the circumstances.
American actor Eric Dane also attracted Nigerian searches following his death in February.
Nollywood actor Alexx Ekubo’s death in May similarly generated significant search interest, with another increase recorded around his burial in June.
Politics and court cases
Politics, criminal investigations and court cases also featured.
Nigerians searched for developments involving former Minister of Power Saleh Mamman as well as Lagos politician Mudashiru Obasa and the political controversy surrounding the leadership of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Internationally, the release of millions of pages of records relating to convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by the United States Department of Justice also generated Nigerian search interest.
The viral expression “67” was among internet trends that caught Nigerians’ attention during the period.
The largely nonsensical phrase, associated with youth internet culture and a song originating in the United States, generated enough curiosity to send users searching for explanations of what it meant.
Another online controversy involved Opeyemi Awodoyin, an OPay customer who, according to the material released by Google, received ₦100,000 in error and became the subject of an online debate after allegedly refusing to return the money.
Nigerians also searched for information about hantavirus following reports of an outbreak aboard a cruise ship.
Celebrity controversies
Entertainment personalities generated their share of searches.
Broadcaster Frank Edoho attracted attention amid developments concerning the breakdown of his marriage and allegations subsequently exchanged with his estranged wife.
Music promoter Sam Larry also attracted renewed interest after a July road accident in which his bodyguard died.
The incident renewed online conversations about late singer Mohbad, whose death in 2023 generated widespread controversy and investigations.
Music and film were also reflected in the data, with searches involving Wizkid and Asake’s “Jogodo”, the Grammy Awards and Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance.
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Films including Mortal Kombat 2 and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey also attracted Nigerian search interest.
Google’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager for West Africa, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, said the trends demonstrate how Nigerians use Search to seek additional information when major events occur.
“Search data is the most honest record of national attention we have, because nobody performs for a search bar,” Mr Kola-Ogunlade said.
“Nigerians did not just watch these stories, they interrogated them: the shootout, the strait, the files, the meme.”
According to Google, the rankings were compiled from anonymised Google Trends data covering January to July 2026, with related queries grouped according to the stories to which they referred.
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