The Fans' Cup: The Unlikely Social Media Stars Who Emerged From the FIFA World Cup 2026

The FIFA World Cup 2026 has delivered no shortage of unforgettable moments – from heartwarming bromances, to gut-wrenching exits like Egypt’s defeat to Argentina after the North African side’s best-ever World Cup run.

Harry Kane lost his voice after England’s 2-0 victory over Mexico at high altitude. Norway, led by Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, enjoyed a remarkable campaign that carried them to the quarter-finals, while Cape Verde’s performances against Spain and Argentina garnered worldwide respect and attention.

But regardless of who lifts the trophy, when it comes to social media, the real winners have been the fans.

“The tone of fan culture and behaviour at this World Cup has been defined by a wholesome, friendly and, most importantly, fun energy,” explains Gabriel Noble, research and insight director at We Are Social.

He points to moments such as the Algerian national team being embraced by locals in Kansas while using the state as their training base. “All in all, the fans and brands who have gotten involved have provided a much-needed relief from division and a reminder of what happens when people from different walks of life come together,” he says.

To highlight how it all played out, with the help of social media experts from across the industry, LBB takes a look at some of the tournament’s most memorable fan and player-led moments.

Likely and Unlikely Legends: From Haaland to Vozinha

​One of the main trends across this World Cup has been footballers' own Instagram and Snapchat stories gaining unprecedented and fresh traction. Norway’s Erling Haaland, who now has more than 60 million followers across social platforms, continued to build his reputation as one of football’s most entertaining creators through his goofy Snapchat stories and behind-the-scenes vlogs. Fans also appear to have a particularly soft spot for his bromance with England’s Jude Bellingham.

But both Fabric Social’s senior account director Josh Wright and The Romans account manager Joel del Gesso say that talk in their offices has centred on the much lesser known New Zealand defender Tim Payne. After Argentinian creator Valentín Scarsini encouraged his fans to support the players, his Instagram following grew from around 4,000 on 26 May to 5.6 million by the time the tournament began. It gained so much traction that brands including McDonald’s joined in the conversation, while Duolingo got a boost as Payne credited the app for helping him improve his Spanish.

Meanwhile, the well-dressed (sapeur style) Congolese fan Lumumba Vea has become something of an icon. His three pinned Instagram posts have over half a billion total engagements. Across his social channels, he’s garnered over 28 million views, pulling in 12.8 million on Instagram, 12.5 million on TikTok, and 2.87 million on Facebook.

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Both Josh and Joel also highlight that the story of Josimar Dias (Vozinha) has been of particular note. The 40-year old Cape Verde goalkeeper and his remarkable saves helped them to a remarkable draw against Spain and they also had a close match against Argentina. According to Sprout Social’s data his content averages an impressive 40% engagement rate, which is nearly 20x the average for typical content creators.

Iconic Songs and Celebrations: Viking Rows and Bosnian Bangers

And it wasn’t just Cape Verde that became an underdog team social media inspiration, this phenomenon played out across the tournament. Bosnia reached the World Cup for the second time in the small Balkan country’s history, and, led by their captain Edin Džeko, reached the Round of 32. Along the way fans became enamoured with a World Cup adaptation of hip hop-inspired group Dubioza Kolektiv’s ‘Take Me To America’– with political lyrics that give a nod to Bosnia’s diaspora community given a positive spin about Bosnia reaching the World Cup.

Across social media this garnered widespread conversation and love for the underdog team. The iconic and infamous pan-Balkan powdered stock brand Vegeta also made an appearance in some fan videos about collective support for Bosnia.​

Scotland reached the World Cup for the first time since 1998, and consequently ‘“No Scotland, No Party” took over the internet. Scottish fans also garnered particular fame for their presence supporting the Tartan Army in Boston.​

Norway also hadn’t made it to the World Cup since 1998, and their Viking Row became an equally viral beloved social media sensation. Currys cleverly platformed Scottish store colleagues expressing their sentiments before the England Norway game.

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“Global Events Like the World Cup Breathe Life Into Humanity"

​Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this World Cup has been audiences’ appetite for authenticity over polished, manufactured moments.

Supporters have also shown that fan culture remains one of football’s greatest strengths. “Global events like the World Cup breathe life into humanity beyond what’s watched on television. They are lived, debated and celebrated across social platforms in real time, uniting diverse fan bases and building niche yet global online cultures,” says Curtis Midkiff, director of social media marketing at Sprout Social.

As the tournament reaches its conclusion, the World Cup’s biggest social media winners have already emerged. In the final throws of the tournament players such as Lionel Messi, Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal continue to generate enormous engagement (there have been over 150 million actions around Messi’s account alone as the semi-finals hit according to Commscore data), but its more unlikely heroes have demonstrated that some of the tournament’s biggest stars are made well before the final whistle. For brands, that shows the timeless power of looking beyond the biggest contenders.

​Above: Still of Erling Haaland from Budweiser's 'Let It Pour'