We have crunched the numbers to reveal the footballers who have gained the most Instagram followers since the World Cup began this summer. Important performances with big storylines have seen some players go from unknowns to superstars on social media.
With the Round of 16 now complete, MyBettingSites.co.uk has updated its tracker of Instagram follower gains across all 1,200+ players at the 2026 World Cup.
The latest update splits the numbers into two views: the knockout stage alone (Round of 32 and Round of 16, 28 June to 8 July) and the full tournament data so far (8 June to 8 July).
Instagram Follower Gains across World Cup Knockout stage
Across all 1,200+ players, the knockout rounds alone have added 89,476,140 new Instagram followers.
For the first time during the tracking period, someone has out-gained Vozinha over a single stage. Erling Haaland (Norway) leads the knockout stage with +12,910,616 new followers (+29.2%), now on 57,057,588, with Norway’s deep run turning him into the single biggest riser of the tournament for this period.
Vozinha (Cape Verde) follows in second place with +10,787,140 new followers (+62.4%), now on 28,060,921 total followers. Third is Gilberto Mora (Mexico), whose +3,787,094 follower gain (+172.5%) has taken him to 5,982,753 total followers, part of a wider surge for Mexico’s squad during their knockout run. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) sits fourth with +3,083,365 new followers (+0.5%), now on 673,022,128, and Neymar (Brazil) rounds out the top five with +2,980,268 new followers (+1.3%), now on 240,619,815.
Looking at percentage growth in the knockout stage rather than raw numbers, the standout climbs came from players with far smaller starting followings. Orlando Gill (Paraguay) leads with +728.7% gain, now on 987,534 followers, followed by Sidny Lopes Cabral (Cape Verde) with +643.4% gain, now on 1,527,618 followers, Orjan Nyland (Norway) with +369.4% gain, now on 363,302 followers, Lucas Herrington (Australia) with +343.1% gain, now on 93,129 followers, and Issa Diop (Morocco) with +246.5% gain, now on 653,566 followers. Gilberto Mora also appears here, with his +172.5% gain and 5,982,753 total followers putting him in both the absolute and percentage top tens, a rare double for the knockout stage.
When looking at nation totals, Norway lead with +13,801,501 followers gained, powered almost entirely by Haaland, enough to push them above Cape Verde for this period. Cape Verde sit in second place with +12,851,299 new followers gained, while Mexico are close behind in third place with +12,642,394 new followers thanks to their own knockout run. Brazil are fourth with +9,790,465 new followers, while Argentina are fifth with +4,840,390 new followers.
Instagram Follower Gains Across World Cup So Far
Zooming out to the tournament as a whole, the 1,200+ players tracked have gained 198,043,233 new followers combined since 8 June.
Vozinha’s (Cape Verde) tournament-long total remains far ahead of the field. He leads the full tournament with +28,029,383 new followers (+88,875%), now on 28,060,921 total followers. However, Erling Haaland’s (Norway) knockout surge has closed the gap considerably and pushed him clear into second place overall, with +16,413,105 new followers (+40.4%), now on 57,057,588 followers. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) sits third with +7,375,253 new followers (+1.1%), now on 673,022,128 followers. Neymar (Brazil) is fourth with +6,318,005 new followers (+2.7%), now on 240,619,815 followers, and Lionel Messi (Argentina) rounds out the top five with +5,706,148 new followers (+1.1%), now on 512,245,222 followers.
Looking at percentage growth across the full tournament rather than raw numbers, the standout climbs are still dominated by Cape Verde’s squad, a reflection of how small their starting follower bases were prior to the start of the tournament. Behind Vozinha’s extraordinary +88,875% gain, Douglas Santos (Brazil) sits second with +1,289.8% gain, now on 2,678,840 followers, followed by Eloy Room (Curaçao) with +1,161.5% gain, now on 1,164,876 followers, Sidny Lopes Cabral (Cape Verde) with +1,097.2% gain, now on 1,527,618 followers, and Diney Borges (Cape Verde) with +1,093.3% gain, now on 248,639 followers. Cape Verde alone supply six of the top ten percentage climbers across the whole tournament.
When looking at nation totals, Cape Verde lead the full tournament table, built almost entirely on Vozinha’s numbers, with +31,113,003 new followers. Brazil are second with +26,912,039 new followers. Mexico’s run has pushed them above Argentina into third with +18,626,767 new followers, while Norway’s late knockout charge has lifted them into fourth with +17,630,818 new followers. Argentina are rounding out the top 5 with +16,514,973 new followers.
The full breakdown for all 1,200+ players, with a toggle between knockout-stage-only and full-tournament views, nation rankings and top gainers, is available in the interactive graphic below:
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Methodology
- Instagram follower counts were recorded for all players named in the 48 World Cup squads, with the latest data collected on 8 July 2026.
- Estimated earnings per sponsored post are calculated using an industry benchmark of potentially earning $10 per 1,000 followers, converted to GBP at the prevailing rate.
- Figures are estimates only and do not account for engagement rates or exclusivity agreements.
- In total, 1244 players were analysed. Players who have no Instagram account or have an account that is not publicly accessible are excluded from all follower and earnings totals.
