Every week through the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Social Element’s Strategy & Intelligence team is tracking and reporting back on the conversation around the tournament.

Powered by our Brand Currency Index™ and data collated across Talkwalker, Perplexity, and broader sports reporting, our reports will explore what fans are actually talking about across three signal types: topics brands should moderate, topics worth engaging with, and topics to keep an eye on as they develop. Tracking these signals as they enter the conversation, heat up, and sustain – providing intelligence on trajectory as well as volume.

About this edition

Our third edition covers June 22 to 28. The group stage closed, the first knockout weekend arrived, and the conversation tilted positively on the strength of star power. Messi went from equalling the record to breaking it, passing into the history books as the leading scorer in World Cup history and generating the single biggest engagement moment of the week. Canada’s stoppage-time winner over South Africa sent the co-hosts into the last 16 for the first time, and Cape Verde became the first debutant nation to reach the knockouts since 2010. Off the pitch, the loudest negativity came from the eliminated nations, where refereeing and VAR complaints drove the week’s negative peak, while fan watch parties and bar culture emerged as the quiet opportunity for brands to lean into.

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