Brazil first, India second: FIFA World Cup Instagram numbers reveal surprising fan hierarchy

India is not part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, having missed the bus yet again during the qualifying campaign last year. The country is yet to qualify for a World Cup at the senior level, either in the men's or the women's game, after more than seven decades of trying, and it remains to be seen when that curse will finally be lifted.

Also Read | Why is India not at 2026 FIFA World Cup? Here's why Blue Tigers remain absent from football's showpiece event

The FIFA World Cup, however, remains popular as ever in the cricket-mad nation even if they are not part of the action. According to a report on Moneycontrol,  India ranks second when it comes to FIFA's followers on Instagram.

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Indians constitute 10.21 per cent of FIFA World Cup's total followers on their official Instagram account, which puts them ahead of USA, Indonesia, Italy and Argentina but behind Brazil, the South American nation where football is said to be a way of life.

"India has the second-largest FIFA audience on Instagram globally, but unlike every other country in that top five, India has no team in the tournament and no domestic league that feeds into World Cup interest," Qoruz co-founder and CEO Praanesh Bhuvaneswar was quoted by the website as saying.

Star forward Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, has more Indian followers on the popular social-networking platform than the entire population of Portugal, his home country. The 41-year-old, who is featuring in his sixth and in all likelihood his final World Cup this summer, has 81.3 million followers from India, which accounts for 12.2 per cent of his Instagram followers.

It's a similar story for Lionel Messi, who is also participating in his sixth World Cup and is currently on a record-breaking spree. The Inter Miami star has 56.6 million followers from India, which comprises 11.16 per cent of his Instagram follower count that exceeds 500 million.

Football's popularity signals a golden opportunity for advertisers

The popularity has translated to a boom in sales when it comes to football or World Cup-related merchandise and other goods.

The report adds that Decathlon India had more than 50 per cent of its football merchandise sold out before the tournament's opening fixture on 11 June. Sports equipment maker Vector X meanwhile, has reported that a 30 per cent growth in sales of football, footwear and accessories from last year.

The boom in sales as well as the existing interest in teams and star players has translated to a golden opportunity for advertisers. Advertising agency CASHurDRIVE is in discussion with mid-sized brands on World Cup-related campaigns of up to Rs 1 crore.

And according to the agency's Managing Director Raghu Khanna, the FIFA World Cup remains a significant marking platform for international aspiration and premium positioning.

One therefore, can only wonder how football's popularity and its marking potential will explode once the Blue Tigers finally qualify for the quadrennial competition that is the most popular sporting event in the world after the Olympics.