Presenting data of the most discussed teams, players and more of the championship
The #WorldCup drama unfolded on the pitch in Russia, and it also played out on Twitter in a big way. Whether it was to celebrate heart-pounding victories, watch live tournament analysis on the platform, or to show sportsmanship despite tough defeats, football fans across the globe came to Twitter to experience every exhilarating and emotional moment as it happened.
After 64 thrilling matches, including the dramatic World Cup Final between France (@equipedefrance) and Croatia (@HNS_CFF), we’ve compiled the numbers and their visualizations that illustrate the massive role Twitter played for fans since the event began on June 14.
There were 115 billion Impressions (views on Twitter) of Tweets during the World Cup
Whether the crowd was reacting to a big goal, predicting the outcome of the next match, or discussing the latest injury or officiating controversy, fans came to Twitter to discuss the all things related to the #WorldCup.
Fans Tweeted the most during the Final between France and Croatia
We saw the bulk of the conversation during the live matches, including during the final match between France and Croatia, which was the top Tweeted match of the #WorldCup.
Here are the five most-tweeted matches:
1.France vs. Croatia (#WorldCupFinal; July 15)
2.Brazil vs. Belgium (#BRABEL; July 6)
3.Brazil vs. Mexico (#BRAMEX; July 2)
4.France vs. Argentina (#FRAARG; June 30)
5.Costa Rica vs. Brazil (#BRACRC; June 22)
Here are the top five moments that generated the biggest peaks of Twitter conversation, measured in Tweets per minute (TPM), during the entire tournament:
1.Kylian Mbappé (France) scores France’s fourth goal; France leads 4-1 in the Final (July 15)
2.Philippe Coutinho goal in extra time gives Brazil 1-0 lead against Costa Rica (June 22)
3.South Korea defeats Germany 2-0 (June 27)
4.Final Whistle: France defeats Croatia 4-2 in the Final (July 15)
5.Final Whistle: Belgium secures 2-1 victory over Brazil (July 6)
Brazil sent more Tweets than any other nation during the #WorldCup
Football fans around the globe came to Twitter to talk about the event. Fans in Brazil sent more Tweets about the tournament than any other country. Here’s a ranking of the countries who Tweeted the most:
- Brazil
- Japan
- United Kingdom
- United States
- France
These were the most mentioned players of the #WorldCup:
- Neymar, Jr. (@neymarjr; Brazil)
- Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano; Portugal)
- Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe; France)
- Philippe Coutinho (@Phil_Coutinho; Brazil)
Brazil was the most-mentioned team of the #WorldCup
Here are the most Tweeted about teams of the tournament:
- Brazil (@CBF_Futebol)
- France (@equipedefrance)
- Argentina (@Argentina)
- England (@England)
- Portugal (@selecaoportugal)
@Budweiser was the most-discussed brand on Twitter
Football fans weren’t the only people following the #WorldCup. Several brands joined the conversation as the action on the pitch unfolded. These were the most globally mentioned brands of the tournament:
Budweiser (@Budweiser)
Adidas (@adidas)
Coca-Cola (@CocaCola)
Nike (@Nike)
Apple (@Apple)
Facebook:
During FIFA World Cup 2018, globally Facebook saw 383 million people having more than 2.3 billion interactions related to the World Cup on Facebook.
Most discussed teams:
Brazil
Argentina
France
Russia
Mexico
England
Croatia
Portugal
Germany
Spain
Most discussed players:
Lionel Messi
Neymar Jr
Cristiano Ronaldo
Philippe Coutinho
Mohamed Salah
Luka Modrić
James Rodriguez
Andrés Iniesta
Marcelo Vieira
Harry Kane
Countries most engaged in the conversation: Ranked by number of people who talked about the WC on Facebook
Brazil
U.S.
Mexico
Vietnam
Most Loved post

Mexico’s Raúl Jiménez shares a photo of his team after it upset Germany in the group stage:
Top Video (Ranked based on views)

A video posted by former Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas:
Top Posts based on overall interactions
Leo Messi updates his profile picture
Cristiano Ronaldo encourages his team and country at the start of the World Cup
James Rodriguez shares his heartbreak after Colombia’s loss to England in the round of 16
Top Social moments during the world cup final: Ranked by highest spikes in conversations
France wins the World Cup (conclusion of the match)
Paul Pogba gives France a 3-1 lead with his goal in the 59th minute
France takes a 1-0 lead on the Mario Mandzukic own goal in the 18th minute
Players who GOT the most likes during the course of the tournament
Leo Messi
Neymar Jr
Cristiano Ronaldo
Mohamed Salah
Paulo Dybala
Other Data Highlights
Interactions about France were 300% higher during the knockout stage compared to the group stage.
Instagram:
During FIFA World Cup 2018, globally Instagram saw over 272 million people posting around the series, and overall 3 billion interactions were recorded across the world. Globally the community also saw, 11 million stories being posted on the platform.
Most Buzzed About Player in INDIA
leomessi
Neymarjr
lukamodric10
kmbappe29
mosalah
paulpogba
philcoutinho
antogriezmann
sergioramos
tonikr8s
Most Buzzed About team in INDIA
equipedefrance
afaseleccion
portugal
england
cbf_futebol
dfb_team
belgianreddevils
sefutbol
hns_cff
teamrussia
Most used hashtags in INDIA
#football
#messi
#fifa18
#worldcup
#fifaworldcup
Where they watched – most used geotags in INDIA
Asia/Kolkata
Alcon Splendour
Mumbai India
Underpass, Defence Colony
Kolkata,West Bangla, India
Most excited fans- the day the GOAL filter was used the most (INDIA)
2018-06-15
2018-07-15
2018-06-14
Top stickers used:
GLOBAL
Location sticker
Hashtag sticker
Time sticker
Toast
Emoji slider heart eyed
*This data was recorded between for 6/14/2018 to 7/15/2018 both FB and Instagram
This is as an Economic Times report.