SportOnSocial (SoS) is the world’s only platform powered by a decade of exclusive behavioural data from the Olympic movement. 

We’re delighted to announce the publication of our SportOnSocial International Federations 2026 report – the most comprehensive annual analysis of how International Federations (IFs) perform across social media. 

This year’s report is particularly significant as SportOnSocial celebrates its 10th anniversary, marking ten years of insights into how global IFs engage fans on the world’s leading social platforms. 

The latest edition analyses 44 IFs and examines audience growth, engagement trends, platform dynamics, and content strategies across Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, TikTok and Chinese channels. 

Seven key insights from the report  

1. Capturing fan attention on social media has never been harder 

This insight stands out immediately. As the digital landscape evolves, the report highlights how IFs are adapting to remain competitive in an increasingly crowded attention economy. 

Fans spend an average of 21 minutes per day consuming sports content on social media, spread over multiple platforms.  

2. World Athletics ranks #1 again, propelled by TikTok momentum  

World Athletics secured #1 overall ranking for the second consecutive year, with TikTok playing a decisive role in its performance. 

A significant rise on TikTok to #2 (up from #9 last year) helped drive momentum and complemented strong positions across other platforms:  #1 on Facebook, #3 on Instagram. 

3. FIS growth increased in build-up to Milano Cortina 2026 

FIS delivered impressive growth in this year’s report, rising +11 places to rank #4 overall and #1 on Instagram. This was driven largely by Milano Cortina build-up  content and underscores the role that major event cycles play in shaping digital performance. 

Notably, FIS achieved engagement levels comparable to IFs with audiences up to 6x larger.

4. World Triathlon’s rise fuelled by video-led growth 

World Triathlon climbed +15 places to achieve is highest ranking to date (#15 overall), driven by strong performance on video-led platforms: 

• YouTube: ranked #2 (+24 places) 

• TikTok: ranked #13 (+15 places) 

World Triathlon also recorded consistent gains on all platforms, including Chinese ones. 

 5. China: a long-term growth market 

Although some global platforms saw declining growth after Paris 2024, Chinese platforms continued to expand (+18% YoY engagement growth overall). 

This increase was driven by strong performance over: 

• WeChat (+476%) 

• Weibo (+27%) 

• Douyin (+11%) 

6. Winter & LA28 sports capture rising fan attention 

Engagement trends showed a clear concentration of attention around major sporting cycles. 

Winter IFs recorded an average engagement increase of +97%; new and returning LA28 sports grew by +40%. 

In contrast, other IFs saw an average engagement decline of -9%. The largest decreases were on: 

• X (36 IFs affected) 

• Instagram (31 IFs affected) 

• YouTube (24 IFs affected) 

7. Facebook & TikTok define new platform balance 

Facebook (+29%) and TikTok (+17%) were the only platforms where IFs recorded collective YoY engagement growth. 

Facebook also saw +21% audience growth: 
29 of 44 IFs improved their YoY growth rates vs 16 on Instagram

What this means for IFs 

When taken together, these insights point to a clear shift in how IFs Federations should approach social media. 

Growth is no longer distributed evenly across platforms or sports. Instead, it is increasingly shaped by platform dynamics, major event cycles, content formats (particularly video), and regional opportunities such as those in China. 

The IFs that show the strongest performance are those making focused and deliberate choices about where – and – how to invest. 

How to make your sport more relevant in a crowded digital landscape 

The SportOnSocial International Federations 2026 report provides a clear view of the position of global sport in the digital space as competition for attention intensifies. 

Visibility is still important in the current attention economy. Connection and memorability are even more important.    

Download the SportOnSocial International Federations 2026 report to explore the full insights.