The FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 is leaving a mark that goes beyond sporting results. With the Belgium and Netherlands tournament still yet to reach its conclusion, the competition has already accumulated 106.4 million views across the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) digital platforms, a record figure for the organization. The reach has also surpassed 62 million people, while the content has generated more than 2.9 million interactions, with one particular detail explaining the scale of the phenomenon: a significant share of those consuming the content were not previously part of the FIH’s digital community.
The distribution of these figures shows how each platform is playing a different role in expanding the tournament’s reach. Instagram leads with 66.7 million views, followed by Facebook with 32.6 million, TikTok with 4.5 million and YouTube with 2.65 million. On Instagram, more than 11 million people reached are not FIH followers, while 70.6% of views and 62% of interactions come from users outside its follower base. TikTok, meanwhile, reached 3.79 million accounts and recorded more than 378,000 interactions, with an engagement rate of 8.41%.
A digital strategy that puts athletes at the center
The figures are the result of a strategy aimed at transforming the way a hockey World Cup is told. The FIH has not limited its coverage to results, statistics and highlights, but has built a narrative around the people who are part of the tournament. Goals, saves, celebrations and performances remain at the core of the content, but they are complemented by formats such as Inside Pass and Hockey Ride, athlete-led stories and content presented by hosts that offer a closer look at players’ personalities beyond what happens during the 60 minutes of a match.
That approach has also extended to everything happening around the competition. Mascots, fan zones, local culture, Children’s Day activities, behind-the-scenes content and the first FIH Para Hockey World Cup have broadened the tournament’s narrative. Added to this are commercial activations, partner content, the Watch.Hockey platform and collaborations with the International Olympic Committee, elements that have helped connect the event with audiences who may approach hockey through entertainment, sports culture or the stories of its protagonists.
The World Cup seeks to reach those who do not yet follow hockey
One of the keys to the digital performance lies in the competition’s ability to move beyond its traditional follower community. Across Meta platforms, the World Cup has already generated 28,400 new followers, while TikTok has particularly demonstrated its discovery potential with millions of accounts reached and an engagement rate above 8%. The strategy has also been built collectively: national associations and continental federations received tools and content to activate their own communities, allowing the global story of the tournament to be adapted to audiences in each country.
In this process, players act as a bridge between the competition and new audiences. Their emotions, personalities, performances and own digital communities amplify the reach of FIH content, creating a chain in which the organization tells the global story, federations bring it into their local contexts and athletes give it a human face. For FIH president, Tayyab Ikram, the fact that such a high proportion of reach and interactions comes from people who did not previously follow the organization shows that the World Cup is succeeding in attracting new audiences. With the tournament still underway, this strategy leaves a second challenge ahead: maintaining that interest beyond the images and results generated by the competition.
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