Erling Haaland, Vozinha, and Lamine Yamal were the footballers who gained the most value on Instagram during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to a report by Francesc Pujol, professor at the University of Navarra in Spain.

The study analyzed the social media growth of more than 1,200 World Cup players, examining the relationship between Instagram impact, sporting performance, economic return, and commercial value.

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Haaland Leads World Cup Instagram Boom

Erling Haaland was the biggest individual winner of the tournament, adding 34.5 million new followers, an 85% increase—more than any other player at the World Cup.

The Norwegian striker arrived with 40.8 million followers and finished with 75.3 million after leading Norway to a historic quarterfinal run and helping eliminate Brazil.

His performances transformed him into the biggest social media success story of the tournament.

Vozinha Becomes the Biggest Viral Sensation

Second place went to Vozinha, the 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper who started the World Cup with only 46,000 followers.

His outstanding saves against Spain and Argentina during Cape Verde's historic debut campaign earned him nearly 30 million new followers, representing growth of more than 60,000%.

The veteran goalkeeper became one of the tournament's biggest breakout stars both on and off the pitch.

Lamine Yamal Continues His Global Rise

Third place belonged to Lamine Yamal, who gained more than 14 million followers during the competition.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi ranked sixth despite his decisive contribution to Argentina's World Cup triumph.

“His 8.5 million new followers represent an increase of less than 2% from an existing base of 515 million followers, the second-largest personal brand after Cristiano Ronaldo and also the most difficult to continue growing,” explained Pujol.

At the national team level, Spain recorded the biggest combined Instagram increase, with its players averaging 1.5 million new followers per player and generating more than 36 million followers overall.

Argentina, the other World Cup finalist, ranked second in average growth. However, its total number surpassed Spain because two world champions, Rodri and Unai Simón, do not have Instagram accounts.

The rest of the top positions were not occupied by semifinalists France and England, which ranked seventh and eighth respectively.

Instead, Norway and Cape Verde completed the podium thanks to the individual popularity boosts created by Haaland and Vozinha.

The Spain national team, coached by Luis de la Fuente, placed four players among the 20 footballers who increased their Instagram value the most during the tournament.

The list includes:

• Marc Cucurella, who benefited from both his World Cup performances and the momentum surrounding his move to Real Madrid.
• Ferran Torres, whose goal in the final highlighted the commercial value of scoring on the biggest stage.
• Pau Cubarsí, the only defender besides Cucurella included in the ranking and also named the tournament's Best Young Player.

The report also confirms that goals and attacking performances create significantly more brand value than defensive actions or goalkeeper saves.

Among the 100 players with the biggest follower increases, 40 were forwards, generating 131 million new followers. By comparison, the 26 goalkeepers and defenders included in that group combined for only 38 million new followers, 3.4 times fewer.

Age was another key factor in Instagram growth.

The World Cup primarily benefited young players and emerging stars, who used the tournament as their biggest global showcase.

“These players find their greatest platform in the World Cup, while percentage growth decreases with age, except for elite players in the final stage of their careers, who continue adding significant numbers thanks to their enormous follower base,” said Pujol, professor at the University of Navarra's School of Economics.

The report also analyzed the impact at club level.

Manchester City recorded the biggest combined growth among clubs with World Cup players, adding 37 million followers. However, 93% of that increase came from Haaland alone.

They were followed by FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, both surpassing 20 million new followers, with their growth distributed more evenly among their players.

Atlético Madrid ranked seventh, while nearly half of the clubs with the biggest global impact came from the English Premier League.

The Premier League topped the ranking among leagues, with its 159 World Cup players generating a combined increase of 80.6 million followers.

LaLiga ranked second with nearly 63 million new followers, a smaller gap than the difference in the number of players represented by each competition.

The French Ligue 1 finished third, boosted by the influence of Paris Saint-Germain, ahead of the German and Italian leagues.

The Saudi Pro League ranked fourth after attracting established stars and legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo in recent years.

Italy, which missed the World Cup as a national team, finished in a modest ninth place.

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