The Guardian celebrated its best coverage of a World Cup tournament yet, bringing unmatched, comprehensive reporting to a massive global audience. Having been named Sports Publisher of the Year at the British Sports Journalism Awards in April, the expanded team of reporters and innovative multimedia features hit the mark on a global scale.
Social Media Success
Social media audiences soared during the tournament. The Guardian Sport Instagram had more than 70 million views, the newly launched Guardian Sport TikTok reached more than 5 million views (45% female), and the Guardian Football YouTube channel had 7 million views with over 74,000 hours of watchtime. Community platforms like the Football Weekly subreddit also saw strong engagement, with a recent AMA amassing thousands of audience questions and comments, while the account’s TikTok grew by 200%.
US Expansion and Marketing
The Guardian’s approach delivered a major impact in the US, with a significant expansion of the US sports desk and new US soccer social channels that drew more than 30 million views on Instagram and TikTok. Guardian marketing blanketed the New York City subway system and featured on billboards outside the Port Authority, where fans boarded buses to MetLife Stadium.
Podcast Dominance
The Guardian’s World Cup Daily podcast, hosted by Max Rushden and Barry Glendenning from Los Angeles and New York, regularly held the No 1 spot on Apple’s UK sport podcast charts and consistently ranked in the top 20 soccer shows in the US, culminating in a sold-out live show in New York.
Coverage Highlights
Wide-ranging coverage included: an exclusive guide profiling all 1,248 players; an expanded on-the-ground presence of more than 30 writers, editors, and multimedia producers across North America; outstanding video guides; a global team of reporters working 24/7; a new data and visuals team for data-driven predictions and player heat index; more than two dozen exclusives and major investigation pieces; daily football newsletters that grew global subscriptions by 11% and US soccer newsletter by 28%; globally renowned minute-by-minute live blogs; first-class commentary from authoritative voices; and the wildly popular Bracketology interactive enjoyed by over 1.25 million readers, including New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Will Woodward, head of sport, said: “We knew this would be the biggest World Cup and we wanted to deliver our best coverage too. This has been the largest project for the Guardian’s sports team since the 2012 London Olympics. The team’s outstanding efforts across North America and in our US, UK and Australian offices are a model of global cooperation. We have delivered some of the finest writing and reporting alongside ground-breaking interactives, videos and visual data, reaching our audiences in different ways and through new mediums.”
Ella Brockway, assistant US sports editor, said: “Reporting on a World Cup hosted in our backyard gave us a rare opportunity to invite US soccer fans into the global game like never before. We were able to capture the atmosphere in host cities and track how the tournament resonated across American culture, all while delivering the on-the-ground analysis, investigative reporting and sharp commentary the Guardian is known for. Offering deep, comprehensive journalism — and keeping it entirely free and open for everyone — has been central to our success and will continue to shape our coverage as we head into the 2027 Women’s World Cup and 2028 LA Olympics.”
Phil Maynard, global head of audio, said: “We’re delighted with the way football fans around the world came to us day after day to hear expert analysis and the fan experience from across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Each podcast episode was brimming with expert analysis, all brilliantly hosted by Max Rushden with Barry Glendenning in their inimitable way.”
