CORNERFLICK
According to the latest report by the analytics platform Football Benchmark on Instagram, the national teams of Argentina and Spain—the finalists of the 2026 FIFA World Cup—experienced remarkable growth in their digital audiences between June 11 and July 14.
According to IMNA News Agency, as media attention surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final reached its peak, newly released analytical data highlighted Argentina's overwhelming dominance across social media. Statistics provided by Football Benchmark, which analyzed the growth of the official Instagram accounts of the two national teams and their players, reveal a significant gap between the finalists.
Argentina: The Unrivaled Powerhouse of Social Media
The report states that the official Instagram account of the Argentina national team gained 2.4 million new followers during the period, increasing its audience from 14.8 million to 17.2 million followers—a growth of 16.2%. In comparison, Spain's national team added 500,000 followers, growing from 7.5 million to 8 million followers, representing a 6.7% increase.
Messi Dominates the Player Rankings
Among individual players, Argentine superstar Lionel Messi led by a wide margin, adding 6 million new followers to his personal Instagram account and bringing his total audience to an astonishing 512 million followers. This figure alone exceeds the combined follower counts of the official Instagram accounts of all national teams.
Several other Argentine players also recorded substantial growth. Julián Álvarez gained 1.7 million followers to reach a total of 21 million, Emiliano Martínez added 1.5 million to reach 15.6 million, and Leandro Paredes increased by 1.4 million to 13.6 million followers. Notably, Lisandro Martínez recorded a 17.4% increase, rising by 1.2 million followers from 6.9 million to 8.1 million.
Yamal and Cucurella: Spain's Fastest-Growing Stars
On the Spanish side, teenage sensation Lamine Yamal attracted 3.4 million new followers during the same period, bringing his total Instagram audience to 46.7 million and making him Spain's fastest-growing player.
However, the biggest surprise in the rankings was Marc Cucurella. Despite starting with just 2.5 million followers, the Spanish left-back gained 900,000 new followers, recording an impressive 36% growth rate—the highest percentage increase among all players from the two finalist teams.
Pedri (up 500,000 followers to 23 million), Pau Cubarsí, and Ferran Torres (each gaining 400,000 followers) were the other Spanish players to feature among the top five fastest-growing accounts.
These figures demonstrate that the battle surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final extended well beyond the pitch. The competition for attention on social media proved equally intense, with players from both teams taking full advantage of the tournament's global exposure to strengthen and expand their personal brands.