Norway emerges as the tournament’s newest digital story following stunning upset of Brazil

COLUMBIA, S.C. — France continues to lead the World Cup’s digital competition, retaining the No. 1 position in this week’s Sports Social Pulse™ rankings from the University of South Carolina.

The latest rankings follow a dramatic Round of 16 that saw Norway eliminate Brazil, Argentina survive another thriller and England advance after an epic victory over Mexico.

Developed by the University of South Carolina’s Social Media Insights Lab in partnership with Sports Business Journal, the weekly Sports Social Pulse rankings measure how effectively national teams build audiences, generate engagement and distribute content across Instagram, TikTok and X.

Top 10 Sports Social Pulse Rankings

“This week’s rankings reinforce that digital influence isn’t built on a single dramatic victory,” said Clay Owen, professor of practice in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina. “France continues to lead because it has consistently built one of the tournament’s strongest digital brands. Similarly, Brazil continues to place in the top three, despite their loss to Norway. The strongest brands build lasting relationships with fans.”

France again posted the tournament’s strongest TikTok performance while maintaining elite positions across Instagram and X. Argentina remained within striking distance after another dramatic comeback victory, reinforcing its position as one of the tournament’s most balanced digital brands.

England climbed to No. 5 following its memorable victory over Mexico, while Spain quietly continued its impressive tournament run with one of the most balanced profiles on social media.

Norway Emerges as Tournament’s Fastest-Rising Digital Story

The week’s biggest mover may be Norway, which climbed to No. 11 after shocking five-time World Cup champion Brazil 2-1 behind a two-goal performance from Erling Haaland.

Norway’s victory fueled a surge in global interest, with the federation’s official Instagram account recently surpassing one million followers. The Norwegians have emerged as one of the tournament’s fastest-rising digital brands.

Meanwhile, Morocco remained in the Top 10 following its run to the quarterfinals, continuing one of the tournament’s strongest digital growth stories.

U.S. Momentum Slows After Round of 16 Exit

The United States, which broke into the Sports Social Pulse Top 10 during the group stage, fell to No. 19 following its Round of 16 loss to Belgium.

The decline illustrates how quickly digital momentum can shift as the tournament narrows and global attention increasingly concentrates around the remaining contenders.

Unlike traditional rankings based on wins, losses or betting odds, the Sports Social Pulse evaluates digital influence using a proprietary methodology that measures audience size, visibility, engagement, growth and cross-platform performance. Rankings are based exclusively on official national team social media accounts and do not include individual player accounts.

The Sports Social Pulse provides a unique view of which teams are winning the global battle for attention and how content strategy, audience engagement and digital storytelling increasingly define football’s strongest digital brands.

About the Sports Social Pulse™

Developed by the Social Media Insights Lab at the University of South Carolina, the Sports Social Pulse™ measures digital influence across sports by analyzing audience size, visibility, engagement, growth and cross-platform performance. Originally launched for college football and March Madness, the methodology has expanded to measure national team performance during the FIFA World Cup.

About Sports Business Journal

Sports Business Journal (SBJ), a subsidiary of Leaders Group Sports, is the leading media platform covering the business of sports, providing news, analysis and data to industry leaders.