The 2026 World Cup has caused an unprecedented surge in activity across Meta's suite of applications, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook. As the tournament unfolded, Meta reported that various platforms reached new milestones.
WhatsApp Breaks Messaging Records
During the knockout stage match between Argentina and Egypt, WhatsApp experienced its highest traffic ever, with over 29 million messages sent per second. This unprecedented number not only set a new record for WhatsApp but also surpassed the previous high recorded during the final of the 2022 World Cup.
Instagram Sees Athlete Follower Growth
Instagram also witnessed a significant increase in followers for soccer players during the World Cup. From June 11 to July 11, 2026, players who made it to the final roster collectively gained 213.6 million new active followers. Their total follower count rose from 3.26 billion to 3.47 billion, marking an approximate 6.6 percent increase in just one month.
Remarkable Growth Among Players
A standout among the players was Vozinha, the goalkeeper for Cape Verde, whose follower count skyrocketed from around 37,000 to 28.8 million, a staggering increase of nearly 77,000 percent. This remarkable surge made him one of the fastest-growing athletes on Instagram during the tournament.
Additionally, Cape Verde's players collectively gained 32.1 million followers, showcasing their remarkable popularity growth during the World Cup. Erling Haaland also saw a boost, adding 23 million followers to reach a total of 63.7 million.
Other Notable Follower Increases
Throughout the tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo gained approximately 10 million followers, bringing his total to a staggering 676 million. Young talents also enjoyed heightened visibility, with players like Endrick adding around 5.2 million followers, Jude Bellingham gaining 4.2 million, and others like Michael Olise and Lamine Yamal also seeing substantial increases.
On Threads, World Cup-related content generated around 1.5 billion impressions during the tournament. Meta reported that the soccer community on this platform reached approximately 15 million individuals daily, peaking at 25 million on July 6, 2026.
Facebook also buzzed with World Cup excitement, with over 80 million posts mentioning the tournament since its commencement.
Source: https://tekno.kompas.com/read/2026/07/23/19030067/piala-dunia-2026-pecahkan-rekor-whatsapp-29-juta-pesan-terkirim-per-detik
