Credit: Redtorch
The 2026 report SportOnSocial The report on international federations is now online. As always, it offers valuable insights for those involved in the Olympic Movement, given the importance of these platforms today. The Redtorch agency compared the performance of 44 international federations across eight social media platforms in 2025 (Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, TikTok, Weibo, Douyin, WeChat). What are the key takeaways?
Athletics and winter sports are booming
World Athletics retains its top spot with an overall score of 93 points. FIFA and the FIVB complete the top three, while the International Cricket Council (now 5th) and World Aquatics (9th) have dropped out of the top three. World Athletics, which benefited from the World Championships in Tokyo in September, has made a breakthrough on TikTok: having been only the ninth-best performing IF on the platform in 2024, it is now second. The federation, headed by Sebastian Coe, also ranks number 1 on Facebook and number 3 on Instagram.
Among the most spectacular improvements, the FIS gained eleven places and ranked fourth. This increase is largely explained by the content dedicated to the preparation for Milan-Cortina on Instagram.the report explains. It has recorded the strongest growth among similarly sized IFs, with engagement levels comparable to those of IFs with audiences four to six times larger. "Increased in the spotlight with the prospect of the Olympic Games, the International Federations of winter sports have seen an explosion in engagement (+97%). The ISU (14th), the IBU (18th), the IBSF (24th), World Curling (28th) and the ISMF (41st) have all gained several places in the rankings."
TikTok and videos are gaining ground
World Triathlon has climbed 15 places to reach 15th in the rankings, thanks in particular to the strength of its videos on YouTube (2nd best-performing federation, up 24 places) and TikTok (13th, up 15). The report rightly highlights the growing importance of video content: it represents 62% of the federations' posts. This has significantly increased the number of Instagram Reels (+18%), Facebook Reels (+17%), TikTok videos (+58%), as well as short videos (+38%) and long-form videos (+11%) on YouTube.
Essential for reaching young people, TikTok offers valuable data to validate the strategies of international federations. The top performers? FIFA (1st), World Athletics (2nd), the UCI (3rd), the FIS (5th, up 7 places), World Taekwondo (11th, up 5), World Triathlon (13th, up 15), and the IBSF (16th, up 17). The federations' overall audience on TikTok increased by 16% in one year, the highest growth rate among all platforms. With 63,4 million cumulative subscribers, TikTok is now nipping at the heels of YouTube (64,6 million). "TikTok is rapidly becoming one of the most important platforms for international federations (IFs) looking to reach new audiences, particularly young fans discovering Olympic sports" , says the report.
World Athletics, World Gymnastics, and World Archery are the three top-performing International Federations (IFs) on Facebook. The platform remains a reliable choice, as 29 IFs have seen their audience grow and engagement improve compared to 2025. Facebook is particularly well-suited to archived images since… Content circulates more through sharing than through real-time discovery On Instagram, the FIS, UWW, and FIFA are leading the way. The FIVB, ICC, and ISU are at the top of the rankings on X, but on a broader scale, international federations have lost 1,2 million followers on Elon Musk's social network, and the number of tweets published has decreased by 27% compared to 2024.
On Chinese platforms, table tennis, basketball, badminton, football, and skating occupy the top positions. Engagement exploded on WeChat (+476%) and continued to increase on Weibo (+27%) and Douyin (+11%). Hence the need, according to the report, to consider China as " a fully-fledged digital ecosystem "and to rely on local storytelling."
Archives and pop culture
Although the report focuses on the year 2025, Redtorch also draws some lessons from the Milan-Cortina Winter Games. The dissemination of archived content proved to be a low-effort yet highly profitable strategy during the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games.These are the iconic moments that the public remembers. Rebroadcasting historic performances throughout the year helps to perpetuate these moments and can encourage casual fans to take a greater interest in the sport. »
Responsiveness is another key point to remember: by paying attention to social media and fan discussions, IFs can more easily capture attention. The International Federations (IFs) were able to participate in the broader Olympic debate by responding in real time to public reactions. The same principle applies throughout the year: content that reflects current fan conversations is essential to fostering engagement and finding a resonance amidst saturated news feeds. »
The final lesson, " Pop culture remains one of the best ways to attract attention and bring new audiences to sports. "Hence the interest for IFs in publishing content focused on the personality of athletes for" to go beyond the circle of traditional winter sports enthusiasts "One example: the Spanish skater Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté, whose choice to perform to the soundtrack of "Minions" caused quite a stir.
