Don’t just watch: How to boost World Cup engagement with influencers

According to FIFA, around five billion people engaged with the 2022 World Cup, while the final between Argentina and France reached close to 1.5 billion viewers globally. The 2026 tournament will be even bigger in format.

But fans are not just watching anymore. IBM’s 2025 sports fan study found that multi-device usage to follow sporting events grew from 27% in 2024 to 29% in 2025. That means more fans are watching matches while also checking stats, social media, live reactions and other digital content.

This changes the role of World Cup marketing campaigns in iGaming. The strongest campaigns will not only chase signups before kickoff, but will become part of the matchday routine. Influencers can help make that happen by turning betting content into predictions, live reactions, polls, explainers and community discussions.

That is how passive viewers become active participants: not through louder ads, but through a more interactive World Cup experience.

Passive football fandom is changing

Football fandom used to be easier to define. A fan watched the match, supported a team, celebrated goals, complained about the referee and waited for the next game.

That version of fandom still exists, but it is no longer the whole picture.

Today, many fans experience football through several layers at once. They watch the broadcast, check live stats, look at social media reactions, follow tactical opinions, message friends, scroll short-form clips and compare what different influencers are saying. The match is no longer just watched. It is discussed, reacted to, analysed and shared in real time.

This matters even more during the World Cup. With 48 teams and 104 matches, the 2026 World Cup will be larger than any previous edition. That means more matchdays, more storylines, more underdog moments, more regional fan communities and more chances for brands to stay present throughout the tournament.

For betting brands, this shift changes the role of marketing. A standard ad may reach a fan once. A strong influencer-led matchday experience can bring that fan back again and again. Before the match, the audience can join in predictions. During the match, they can follow live reactions. After the match, they can return for recaps, debates and the next set of fixtures.

This is why passive fandom is fading. Fans not only want to watch. They want to take part. That does not mean every fan wants to bet, and betting brands should never treat World Cup excitement as a reason to push reckless behaviour. But for legal-age audiences already interested in sports betting, the tournament provides a natural space for more interactive viewing.

The key is how brands enter that space. If the message is only “register now” or “claim this bonus”, it can feel generic. Every sportsbook can say that. But if the brand appears through an influencer who already has a real football community, the experience becomes more natural. The audience is not just seeing an offer. They are joining a conversation around the match. That is the difference between passive reach and active participation.

Who are the active players? 

An active player is not just someone who places a bet. In the context of World Cup betting, an active player is a fan who engages more deeply with the matchday experience. They do not only wait for the final score. They follow team news, compare predictions, check player stats, react to momentum changes, join discussions and return for the next match with stronger interest.

Betting adds another layer to the game because more moments start to matter. A lineup change, an early yellow card, a substitution, a missed penalty, extra time or a sudden tactical shift can all change how fans read the match. This is why betting can make World Cup viewing more interactive. It gives fans more reasons to pay attention before, during and after the game.

But this point needs to be handled carefully. The goal is not to push every viewer into betting. The goal is to create a better experience for legal-age audiences who are already interested in sports betting. For them, influencer content can make the experience easier to follow and more social.

A football influencer can explain what matters before kickoff. During the match, they can react with the audience in real time. After the final whistle, they can break down what happened and start the conversation around the next fixture. That is the real shift: from isolated betting actions to shared matchday participation.

Benefits of interactive viewing

Interactive viewing gives betting brands more than one short moment of attention. A standard World Cup ad can reach a fan before the match and then disappear. An interactive campaign can stay present across the whole matchday: before kickoff, during the game, after the result and between fixtures.

The World Cup is a long tournament with many emotional peaks. Fans follow their national team, watch rivals, discover underdogs, react to upsets and join daily conversations around what may happen next. For betting brands, this creates several clear benefits.

The main benefit is repeat contact. A fan may ignore one banner or scroll past one ad, but they are more likely to return to an influencer who gives them useful matchday context again and again.

Interactive viewing also helps betting brands move beyond generic bonus messages. Instead of saying the same thing as every other sportsbook, a brand can become part of the football routine: predictions before the match, live discussion during the match and community analysis after it.

This does not replace conversions. Signups, deposits and promo code usage still matter. But interactive viewing creates a stronger path toward those actions because the audience is already engaged, informed and connected to the matchday conversation.

For World Cup betting campaigns, that is a major advantage. The brand is not only asking people to click, but giving them a reason to stay involved.

Influencers as matchday companions

For World Cup betting campaigns, influencers should not be treated as ad placements. Their strongest role is to become matchday companions: people the audience follows before, during and after the game because their content adds something to the football experience.

A good football influencer can help fans understand what matters before kickoff. They can talk about team form, lineups, key players, injuries, tactical changes and match context. They can also ask the audience for predictions, run polls and start discussions that make the match feel more social before it even begins.

• During the match, this role becomes even more important. Influencers can react to goals, missed chances, red cards, substitutions and momentum shifts in real time. Their comments can keep the audience involved because fans are not only watching the game. They are watching it with someone whose opinion they trust.
• After the final whistle, the influencer keeps the conversation going. They can explain what changed the match, discuss surprising moments, compare expectations with the result and move attention toward the next fixture.

This is where influencer marketing becomes different from standard advertising. A banner can appear during a match, but it cannot lead a conversation. An influencer can.

For betting brands, that conversation creates a more natural place for betting-related content. Predictions, odds explanations, live reactions and match recaps fit better when they are part of a real football discussion.

Still, this needs control. Influencers should work with approved messaging, clear disclosure, and responsible gambling rules. They should not promise wins, pressure the audience, or present betting as a way to solve financial problems. The best matchday influencers create energy around the game while keeping the content clear, responsible and useful.

Community, then conversions

Conversions matter. Betting brands still need registrations, deposits, promo code usage and active players. But during the World Cup, a campaign built only around quick conversions can become too narrow.

The tournament is not one match. It is weeks of fixtures, emotions, debates, predictions, surprises and daily conversations. If a brand only appears with a signup message, it may get a click, but it does not always give the user a reason to come back. Community changes that.

When fans join a matchday chat, follow an influencer’s predictions, answer polls, watch live reactions or return for post-match recaps, they are building a routine around the tournament. The brand becomes part of that routine, not just another offer in a crowded market.

This is especially important during the World Cup because many sportsbooks will compete for the same attention. Bonus messages can start to look similar. A community gives the brand something harder to copy:

• A familiar voice fans already trust
• Shared matchday rituals before, during and after games
• Daily reasons to return during the tournament
• Real discussions around teams, players and results
• A stronger emotional link between the brand and the football experience

Influencers are useful here because they already know how to gather people around content. Their audience does not only come for information. It comes from personality, opinion, emotion and a sense of belonging. That is exactly what betting brands need if they want to stay visible across the whole tournament.

A community-first campaign can still support conversions. In fact, it can make them feel more natural. Users see the brand repeatedly in a relevant context, understand the product better and interact with it through content they already follow.

The goal is not to choose between conversions and community, but to build a community that makes conversions more repeatable, more informed and less dependent on one isolated ad.

Viral engagement formats

The best World Cup betting campaigns are built around the full matchday, not just one sponsored post. Fans need different types of content before kickoff, during the match, after the result and between fixtures.

That is why brands should plan influencer content as a sequence. Each format should help the audience do something: compare opinions, react to the match, understand what changed or return for the next game.

• Pre-match prediction videos work well because they give fans a reason to engage before the game starts. An influencer can discuss team form, key players, possible scorelines and match context in a simple way. This type of content is especially useful when it feels like football talk first, not an ad first.
• Polls and questions make the audience part of the conversation. Simple prompts like score predictions, first goal, man of the match or “who wins tonight?” can create fast engagement and give the influencer a natural reason to bring the brand into the matchday routine.
• Live watch-alongs are strong as they create real-time attention. The influencer reacts with the audience while the match is happening, answers comments, discusses key moments and keeps the community active. For betting brands, this format can be especially valuable when the messaging is controlled and responsible.
• Odds explainers help make the experience easier to understand. Instead of pushing users to act quickly, the influencer can explain basic betting terms, match markets or what certain odds mean. This is useful for audiences who are interested but do not want confusing or overly technical content.
• Short-form reaction clips help brands stay visible around big tournament moments. Goals, red cards, late winners, penalty shootouts, and unexpected results can all become fast content opportunities, especially on TikTok, Instagram reels, YouTube shorts and X.
• Community chats on Telegram or Discord can keep the audience connected between games. These spaces are useful for match reminders, discussions, predictions, recaps and repeat engagement across the tournament.
• Post-match recaps close the loop. The influencer can explain what happened, compare predictions with the result and point the audience toward the next fixture. This helps the campaign feel continuous instead of isolated.

Used together, these formats turn World Cup betting content into a matchday journey. The audience meets the brand again and again through useful, social and timely football content.

Choosing the right influencer

Choosing influencers for World Cup betting campaigns is not only about reach. A large audience can help, but it does not guarantee the right audience, the right tone or the right matchday behaviour.

For betting brands, the first question should be fit. Does the influencer actually speak to football fans? Do they understand the rhythm of live matches? Can they discuss predictions, team news and match reactions naturally? Will their audience trust them in this context?

Audience quality matters just as much. A strong campaign needs influencers whose followers match the target market by geography, age, language and interest. This is especially important in sports betting, where brands must work only with legal-age audiences and follow local market rules.

Community strength is another important factor. Some influencers may have smaller audiences but much stronger comment sections, live chat activity or Telegram and Discord communities. For World Cup campaigns, that can be more valuable than one large post with weak engagement.

Brands should also check how well the influencer handles live or time-sensitive content. The World Cup moves quickly. Team news, goals, injuries, extra time and surprise results can change the conversation in minutes. Influencers who can react naturally and responsibly are better suited for interactive campaigns.

A good influencer shortlist should consider:

• Audience geography and legal-age suitability
• Football relevance and matchday credibility
• Engagement quality, not only follower count
• Ability to create live or reactive content
• Strength of community across comments, chats or groups
• Experience with betting, sports or regulated brand content
• Reputation, tone and brand safety
• Ability to follow approved messaging and compliance rules

The best choice is not always the biggest football influencer. Often, the better choice is the influencer whose audience is active, relevant and used to participating in football conversations.

Choosing the right platform

World Cup betting campaigns work best when each platform has a clear role. The same message should not simply be copied across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, Kick, Telegram, Discord and X. Fans use each platform differently, so the content should match the behaviour there.

Some platforms are better for explanation. Some are better for live reactions. Some are better for communities. A strong campaign connects these roles into one matchday journey. The iGaming report by Famesters agency describes in detail how to use each platform to the brand’s benefit.

The strongest setup often uses several platforms together. For example, an influencer can post a prediction on TikTok before the match, run Instagram polls before kickoff, host a live watch-along on Twitch or Kick, then move the audience into Telegram or Discord for post-match discussion. This makes the campaign feel connected. The audience does not meet the brand in one isolated post. They meet it through several natural football moments throughout the day.

Platform choice should also depend on market rules, audience age and compliance needs. Betting brands should check where gambling-related content is allowed, what disclosures are required and whether the platform audience matches the legal target audience.

Measuring the performance

A World Cup betting campaign should not be measured only by one post, one link or one registration spike. The tournament is a long sequence of matches, and the strongest influencer campaigns create repeat engagement across the entire journey.

Basic metrics still matter. Brands should track reach, views, clicks, registrations, first deposits, promo code usage and cost per active player. These numbers show whether the campaign is bringing users into the product. But interactive viewing needs a wider measurement model. If the goal is to build a matchday routine, brands should also track how people behave before, during and after games.

The most useful view is match-by-match performance. A brand should understand which fixtures drove the strongest attention, which influencers created the most discussion, which platforms generated the most active users and which communities kept people coming back.

For example, a TikTok prediction may create strong reach, while a Telegram group may create stronger repeat engagement. A live stream may produce fewer immediate registrations than a short video, but it can create deeper trust and longer attention.

This is why iGaming brands should not judge every format by the same metric. Each format has a different job. Short-form content can create discovery. Live content can create attention. Community channels can create retention. Recaps can bring people back for the next match.

The real win is repeat matchday engagement

The World Cup gives betting brands huge attention, but attention alone is not enough. A simple signup message can disappear fast in a crowded tournament. Influencers help brands become part of the matchday routine: predictions before kickoff, live reactions during the game, discussions after the result and new storylines before the next fixture. That is how viewers become active participants. They compare opinions, join discussions, react to key moments and return for the next game.

For betting brands, the real win is repeat engagement across the tournament, built through responsible, community-led influencer campaigns.