DATA FOOTBALL
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Weekly insights · 09–15 JUN 2026

Cape Verde held Spain. The internet held its breath. And the number nobody expected arrived.

What the data said

  • 01

    Cape Verde's goalkeeper stopped Spain in a historic 0–0 — the debut of an entire country at the World Cup. The support of a nation that barely fit on the map exploded on social media, and the photo of the green crest became the most efficient post of the week: 61% engagement. No giant came close.

  • 02

    Edin Dzeko is 40 years old, survived a war, and captained Bosnia at the World Cup. The story went viral — and the national team responded on social media with a presence in the top engagement rankings for three consecutive days, including opening day. The dragon flies, and the fans fly with it.

  • 03

    Haiti took the field in a different shirt than they had planned to wear — FIFA ordered a change before their debut because the design resembled the Polish flag. The controversy made headlines worldwide. Senegal played none of that, but swept the reels rankings: the four most efficient video posts of the week were all from the Senegalese national team, with up to 20.2% VER.

  • 04

    Portugal had the most-watched reel of the week — 34 million views and over 3 million likes, superpower numbers. But dominating reach is different from dominating connection. While Portugal was the most watched, Cape Verde was the most felt.

The contrast

Portugal broke viewing records — 34 million views on a single video, the biggest of the week. But the team that truly made fans tremble was an African archipelago in its first World Cup. Cape Verde with 61% ER is the weekly reminder that reach is fame, engagement is love.

What to watch

Bosnia face Switzerland — and Dzeko still has stories to tell on and off the pitch. If the narrative keeps growing, the engagement will follow. Keep an eye on it.

The week in numbers

Most watched
Portugal · 34.4M views
Most engaged
Cape Verde · 61% ER
Above average
7.5× the week's average
Most present
Portugal · 42× in the top-10

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