More than 106 million views. Millions of new fans reached. Record engagement. And the biggest moments are yet to come.
The FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026 is setting a new digital benchmark for hockey, with FIH social media channels delivering their strongest-ever performance at the world’s biggest hockey event.
As the tournament reaches the end of its second pool phase, World Cup content has already generated 106.4 million views across FIH platforms – and, importantly, is taking hockey far beyond its existing fanbase.
Instagram leads the way with 66.7 million views, followed by Facebook with 32.6 million, TikTok with 4.5 million and YouTube with 2.65 million.
But the biggest story is not simply how many people are watching. It is who hockey is reaching.
Across platforms, World Cup content has already delivered more than 62 million in combined reported reach and generated over 2.9 million engagements, with a significant proportion coming from people who were not previously following FIH.
On Instagram alone, more than 11 million non-followers have been reached. An extraordinary 70.6% of views and 62% of interactions have come from people outside FIH’s existing follower base.
TikTok is also opening hockey to new audiences. World Cup content has generated 4.5 million views, reached 3.79 million accounts and delivered more than 378,000 engagements, producing an impressive 8.41% engagement rate.
Across Meta platforms, the World Cup has already generated 28,400 new follows, while YouTube has accumulated 2.65 million video views.
In summary, more people are discovering hockey, engaging with hockey and becoming part of its global community.
More than matches
Behind the numbers is a deliberate shift in how FIH tells the story of hockey.
The World Cup social media strategy was designed not simply to report results, but to make audiences see it, feel it, share it and want to be part of it.
That means world-class hockey remains at the centre; goals, saves, skills, celebrations, results and unforgettable sporting moments, but the story does not stop at the final whistle.
Original formats such as Inside Pass and Hockey Ride, athlete-led storytelling and host-driven content have brought fans closer to the personalities behind the performance.
Mascots, Kids Day, fan zones, local culture, behind-the-scenes moments and the inaugural FIH Para Hockey World Cup have expanded story even further, showcasing the energy, diversity and atmosphere surrounding the sport.
Commercial and distribution partnerships have added another dimension, with partner activations, branded content, Watch.Hockey, IOC collaborations and opportunities to connect hockey with wider sporting audiences.
Athletes at the centre, Nations amplifying the story
The World Cup is also demonstrating the power of telling hockey`s story together.
National Associations and Continental Federations were engaged ahead of the event, with messaging and activation aligned throughout the Road to the World Cup. Participating nations received simple, ready-to-use content and toolkits to enable local activation and ensure every team could contribute to the global story.
Most importantly, athletes were also placed at the heart of the event. Their personalities, emotions, performances and own social communities give hockey an authenticity and reach that no single federation channel can achieve alone
This created a powerful multiplier effect: FIH tells the global story; nations localise it; athletes humanise it; fans amplify it.
Talking hockey to new audiences
The early results point to something bigger than record social media numbers.
The extraordinary high proportion of views and interactions coming from non-followers shows that the World Cup is attracting people who were not previously part of the FIH digital community, as well as demonstrating the way the presentation of hockey is evolving.
Match action remains at the heart of the coverage, but personality, emotion, entertainment, athletes, fans and the wider event experience are increasingly important parts of the story. This broader approach allows hockey to connect with audiences not only through sporting excellence, but also through the human stories surrounding the game.
FIH President Tayyab Ikram commented on these initial results as follows: “These results are a tremendous validation of the strategy we put in place for this World Cup. We wanted to showcase the vitality of our game, the excellence of our athletes, the vibrant atmosphere in the stadiums. The fact that such a high proportion of our reach and engagement is coming from people who do not currently follow FIH is particularly encouraging. It shows that we are not only serving our existing hockey community but also bringing new audiences into our sport.”
A blueprint for the future
With the World Cup still to reach its climax, the social media story is already one of unprecedented success for FIH.
More importantly, the tournament is providing a blueprint for future FIH events: combine always-on, high-quality match coverage with original storytelling, athlete voices, fan content, local and national activation, and integrated commercial and distribution opportunities.
The objective is clear: not simply to report hockey, but to make people feel part of it.
And with more than 106 million views already generated, the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026 is doing exactly that – while introducing hockey to millions of new fans around the world.
The world is not just watching hockey. More of the world is discovering it.
