MBABANE – Online search trends over the past year show emaSwati were largely drawn to football, betting platforms and entertainment content, according to aggregated data tracking web and YouTube activity across the country, according to data from Google Trends.
The figures, covering the past 12 months, reveal that football giants such as Orlando Pirates recorded a 400 per cent surge in search interest in the northern region of the country. Spanish club FC Barcelona registered a breakout spike, placing it among the fastest rising queries nationally.
Local users also searched extensively for live match updates, with “live score” rising by 40 percent in the north. The Betway Premiership table, linked to South Africa’s top flight now known as the Betway Premiership, recorded a 40 percent decline in the south.
Betting related platforms featured prominently. “Mulasport” ranked as the top web search despite a 20 percent drop in the south, while “mulasport login” dipped by 9 percent. “Ebet” and “ebet login” both posted gains of 10 percent in the north. “8bet” declined by 30 percent in the south. Rising queries also included “diskibet” at 400 percent and “diskibet login” at 350 percent growth, pointing to sustained interest in online wagering.
Global tournaments drove further spikes. Searches for the FIFA Club World Cup jumped by 2,250 percent in the north, while “club world cup” climbed by 2,100 percent. The Africa Cup of Nations saw a 550 percent increase, showing continued appetite for continental football.
Technology also gained traction. “Deepseek” rose by 550 percent, “ChatGPT” increased by 200 percent and “Gemini AI” together with “Gemini” each recorded 170 percent growth, reflecting curiosity around artificial intelligence tools among local internet users.
Weather updates proved essential for many households. “Weather” searches grew by 30 percent in the north over the year, while “weather tomorrow” rose sharply by 50 percent. However, in the past month, both terms declined in the south by 30 percent and 20 percent respectively.
YouTube trends tell a different story, centred on music and film. “Songs” increased by 20 percent in the north, “movies” by 30 percent and “movie” by 7 percent. “Nigerian movies” climbed 40 percent, while children’s content such as “Cocomelon” rose 20 percent in the north.
Maskandi music registered one of the strongest jumps at 80 percent growth in the north. Amapiano searches fell by 10 percent in the south, while general “music” content dropped by 40 percent. Artist Kabza De Small saw an 8 percent increase in searches.
Breakout music queries included “magumba,” “uyoncengwa unyoko,” “nkeshemba,” “snokonoko,” “empini sothini,” “bengicela mawhoo,” “magumba song,” “mjolisi new album 2025,” “thukuthela,” and “menzi new album 2025,” suggesting strong regional engagement with new releases and trending tracks.
Traditional platforms saw mixed fortunes. “Facebook” searches declined by 20 percent in the south over the year but increased by 20 percent in the north during the past month. “YouTube” web searches rose modestly by 4 percent in the north, though annual data showed a 90 percent drop in the south. Searches for “Times of Eswatini news today” fell by 100 percent in the south.
Over the past month, “Premier League” searches edged up by 1 percent in the north, while “live score” rose by 30 percent, confirming football’s continued grip on online attention in the Kingdom.
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