The FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026 has generated 106.4 million views across FIH platforms by the end of its second pool phase, setting a new digital benchmark for hockey, the International Hockey Federation said.

Instagram has led the viewership with 66.7 million views, followed by Facebook with 32.6 million, TikTok with 4.5 million and YouTube with 2.65 million, world hockey governing body FIH said in a statement on August 24.

Across platforms, World Cup content generated more than 62 million in combined reported reach and over 2.9 million engagements.

FIH said the key takeaway was not just the size of the audience, but the number of people discovering hockey beyond its existing fan base.

On Instagram alone, more than 11 million non-followers have been reached, while 70.6 percent of views and 62 percent of interactions have come from people outside FIH’s existing follower base.

TikTok content has reached 3.79 million accounts and generated more than 378,000 engagements, giving the platform an 8.41 percent engagement rate.

Across Meta platforms, the World Cup has generated 28,400 new follows, while YouTube has recorded 2.65 million video views.

According to FIH, its strategy was designed to go beyond match results and bring audiences closer to the wider World Cup experience. Original formats such as ‘Inside Pass’ and ‘Hockey Ride’, along with athlete-led storytelling and host-driven content, have complemented coverage of the tournament.

Mascots, Kids Day, fan zones, local culture, behind-the-scenes content and the inaugural FIH Para Hockey World Cup have also expanded the storytelling around the event.

National Associations and Continental Federations were involved ahead of the tournament through aligned messaging and activations. Participating nations received ready-to-use content and toolkits, while athletes were placed at the centre of the campaign.

FIH President Tayyab Ikram said the results were “a tremendous validation” of the strategy adopted for the World Cup.

“We wanted to showcase the vitality of our game, the excellence of our athletes, the vibrant atmosphere in the stadiums,” Ikram said, “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.”

Ikram added: “It shows that we are not only serving our existing hockey community but also bringing new audiences into our sport.”

With the tournament still to reach its climax, FIH said the World Cup was providing a blueprint for future events by combining match coverage with original storytelling, athlete voices, fan content, local and national activation, and commercial and distribution opportunities.