Erling Haaland gained almost 30 million Instagram followers during the 2026 World Cup It's all about goals, viking row and memes

Erling Haaland—or rather Erling Braut Haaland—was undoubtedly one of the standout stars of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After leading Norway back to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years—scoring 16 goals during the qualifiers, including a hat-trick against Italy—the Manchester City striker found the net seven more times during the tournament. Among those goals was a brace that helped Norway eliminate Brazil and reach the quarter-finals. After that historic victory, Haaland took centre stage once again by leading the now-iconic Viking Row, the celebration in which supporters mimic rowing a Viking longship. It was just one of many moments that allowed Haaland to break beyond football's traditional audience, introducing millions of people to the long-haired Norwegian striker whose personality off the pitch is every bit as compelling as his performances on it.

How many Instagram followers Haaland gained

According to data collected by Lefty between June 1 and July 16, 2026, Erling Haaland was the player who gained the most followers on Instagram among everyone who took part in the World Cup. During the tournament, Haaland almost doubled his audience, surpassing 70 million followers thanks to a 42.3% increase, equivalent to 29,633,272 new followers. A remarkable figure that largely flew under the radar, overshadowed by the viral rise of Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha and New Zealand defender Tim Payne, who posted the highest percentage growth on Instagram. In fact, 99% of both Vozinha's current audience (29M) and Payne's (6M) arrived during the World Cup itself.

Combining TikTok and Instagram, Haaland published a total of 187 posts during the competition, generating 3,631,468,760 impressions. Those numbers place him fourth overall behind the three biggest global football superstars heading into the tournament: Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi. Even more impressively, when adding together every Instagram and TikTok impression generated by Norway's squad throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Haaland alone accounted for 94% of the national team's total social reach.

Why brands are investing more than ever in Haaland

Digging even deeper into the data reveals something even more significant: Haaland has become a marketing powerhouse for the brands that invest in him. That is obviously true for Nike, his long-time technical sponsor, but according to Lefty's data, his best-performing collaboration during the World Cup came with Chinese tea brand Walovi. The campaign generated $1.1 million in Earned Media Value (EMV), the metric used to estimate the monetary value of the organic exposure brands receive through athletes' social media content.

The success of those campaigns is closely tied to Haaland's social media strategy, which has proved remarkably effective. There is nothing overly polished or meticulously scripted about the way he communicates online. Instead, his content feels like a direct extension of his personality: defending Kylian Mbappé on Snapchat after a missed penalty, posting selfies wearing a cowboy hat in Dallas or a Viking helmet after Norway's biggest win in decades, and embracing the memes that inevitably follow. It is precisely this unfiltered approach that has allowed him to connect with an audience well beyond football. In today's creator economy, authenticity is no longer just a creative value—it's one of the most valuable marketing assets an athlete can have.