Haaland leads footballers in World Cup social media follower gains

Norwegian striker Erling Haaland emerged as the biggest social media winner of the 2026 World Cup, according to a report by Sportico. The platform for business and finance revealed that Haaland gained an astounding 32.1 million Instagram followers between the tournament's start and end, bringing his total to 72.7 million.

Haaland's on-field performance, where he scored seven goals, contributed to his popularity. He netted braces against Iraq and Senegal in the group stage, scored against Ivory Coast in the round of 16, and bagged another two goals to defeat Brazil in the quarterfinals.

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The maximum scorer of the Norwegian team went from 40.6 million to 72.7 million.

However, the most dramatic percentage increase in followers belonged to Cape Verde's goalkeeper, Vozinha. Before the tournament, he had a modest 32,000 followers. After Cape Verde's surprising draw against Spain and subsequent progression to the round of 16, where they were eliminated by Argentina, Vozinha's follower count surged by over 29.4 million, representing an increase of 91,775%.

Other prominent footballers also experienced significant follower growth. England and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham completed the podium, adding twelve million followers for a 29% increase. Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo gained 11.4 million followers, while Spanish teenager Lamine Yamal secured 11 million, having also won his first World Cup with Spain. Neymar and Lionel Messi also saw substantial gains, with 7.7 million and 7.5 million new followers, respectively. The list also included Gilberto Mora of Mexico, Michael Olise of France, and Endrick of Brazil.

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No player in the tournament came close to the growth rate.