The FIFA World Cup is the most-watched sporting event in the world. Hosted this year in cities across Canada, Mexico and the US, media companies and soccer fans everywhere were quick to capitalize on its cultural impact on social media.
How can you win over your audience when everyone is competing for attention online? We took a look at data from North American creators to see what it can teach us about gold medal-worthy social video strategies. Let’s dive in.
Make every touch count: quality over quantity
The tournament’s biggest social video in North America wasn’t published by the major sports broadcasters like ESPN but rather by the influencer iShowSpeed, with a reel featuring his reaction to the Argentina vs. Cape Verde game. It garnered 240 million views.
So, who was really driving the conversation: media or influencers? The real story lies behind the TikTok data.
- Influencer content won a lot of attention on TikTok, amassing 16.3 billion views across 244,000 videos.
- But, media companies had a views-per-video edge with 4.7 billion views across just 15,000 videos.
- Influencers posted 16X more World Cup-related videos than media companies yet generated only 3.5X more views.
The takeaway: Volume can drive reach, but editorial-led videos are more efficient. Name recognition, editorial authority and distribution infrastructure remain a force multiplier in a saturated environment.
You don’t need to cover sports to join the conversation
With 48 national teams competing in the tournament, the World Cup isn’t just a sports event but a global cultural phenomenon. Sports media wins first place when it comes to the total number of views during the tournament, but brands and creators from every category found ways to successfully put their own spin on the cultural moment.
On Instagram:
- Non-sports publishers across North America generated 1.6 billion views on World Cup content.
- They achieved this with only 10,000 videos.
- Their content focused on fan culture, national quirks and the broader spectacle of a tournament hosted on home soil.
Takeaway: If your category has any natural overlap with a major live event, there’s an audience waiting for your take. You just have to find the angle that speaks to your crowd.
A winning example: Food & Drink
- The Food & Drink genre ranked in the top five of the most-viewed World Cup video categories.
- Creators in the category generated 760 million views across 9,776 Instagram videos.
How did they do it? Food & Drink creators adapted the World Cup into a cultural moment for their category with content all fans can relate to. Think cocktail recipes, tailgating tips, and videos highlighting the cuisines of the nations represented at the tournament.
Match your videos to what the audience actually watches
It’s not just about creating the right content; the right video length is just as important to keep your audience entertained.
- On TikTok, the optimal video duration was 1-2 minutes.
- Yet, North American creators overwhelmingly posted videos in the 0-30 second range.
Takeaway: Don’t rely on assumptions and guesswork when it comes to creating an engaging video. Use analytical data to tailor your video’s length to your audience’s preferences and give them a better viewing experience.
Post when your audience is actually scrolling, not when you think they are
The World Cup is a dynamic tournament spanning multiple time zones, and it’s important to keep up with the games as much as it is with your audience.
Looking at Instagram data, we found some discrepancies between when creators posted and when audiences watched.
- Video uploads to Instagram peaked in the afternoon between midday and 7PM Eastern Time.
- Views per video peaked in the morning at 7AM Eastern Time.
Takeaway: Audit video performance to meet your audience when they’re scrolling. Combine high performance and low competition to find whitespace opportunities for your content.
Key learnings: How to win the moment in a saturated ecosystem
- Editorial authority still matters: media companies drive more views per video than influencers.
- Everyone can play this game: you don’t need to cover sports to gain traction; simply adapt the conversation to your niche.
- Let your audience guide your content: use data to inform your video format.
- Timing is everything: post when your audience is actually active, not when you think they are.
Really knowing your audience is crucial during major cultural phenomena. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to capture attention at the next one. Learn more about Tubular’s social video intelligence today.