Sports stir strong emotions because they are a source of health, self-improvement, and positivity. That is why it is no surprise that the biggest names in this field attract massive audiences, but who are the most-followed athletes on social media?
Well, 17 out of 20 are soccer players, two are basketball players, and one is a cricket player. All of them are men. As for nationalities, there is quite a bit of variety: Argentina, Portugal, Sweden, France, Egypt, Wales, Spain, the United States, Colombia, Brazil, India, and Uruguay. Many use their profiles simply to share their day-to-day lives, although the most famous also take advantage of these platforms to promote brands, managing to earn millions. Altogether, the athletes in the ranking account for more than 4.2255 billion followers across Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Without further ado, here are the 10 most popular athletes on social media (data as of 06/10/2026). If you want to discover the rest of the ranking, you will have to make it all the way to the end of our article 😉.
You may not like soccer, but the reality is that this player goes unnoticed by no one, and certainly not in the world of social media. We are talking about Cristiano Ronaldo, who with 946,100,000 followers, 0.71% more than in 2025, is the athlete leading social media worldwide. He has an intense online presence through his Instagram account (more than 665 million followers), Facebook (more than 172 million fans), and Twitter (more than 109.1 million followers), and he even has an online underwear store.
Low-profile and highly regarded, the reigning world champion usually shares quite a few posts on Instagram, where he has more than 506 million followers. Despite not having an official Twitter account, his more than 116 million fans on Facebook bring him to a total of 622 million followers, keeping him in second place among the most popular athletes.
Virat Kohli, the famous cricket player in India, remains in third place in 2026, holding on to the bronze medal in this ranking thanks to his 393.7 million followers (+1.03%). Since December 2021, he has been the most popular cricket player on Instagram, where he has 273 million followers. On Twitter he has 68.7 million, and on Facebook, 52 million. He also has his own charitable organization, the Virat Kohli Foundation.
Another of the best-known soccer players is Brazil’s Neymar. He currently plays for Santos F.C. and has more than 61.3 million followers on Twitter, more than 91 million fans on Facebook, and more than 234 million on Instagram. A total of 386.3 million followers. Is there really anything else to add?
Basketball draws huge crowds in the United States, and LeBron James, better known as “King” James, is one of the most famous players in the country. He currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and between Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram has a total of 231.5 million followers.
Considered by many fans to be the best soccer player in the world today, French player Kylian Mbappé also trended during the 2022 World Cup, as he scored three goals in the final against Argentina. However, it was not enough to take home the trophy. At just 24 years old, he was the top scorer in Qatar 2022 and is one of the most highly valued players in the world. He currently plays as a forward for Real Madrid.
Between Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, he exceeds 167.3 million followers, which represents 8.07% more than in the previous edition of our ranking.
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, better known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is one of the greatest icons of Brazilian soccer. He is now retired from elite sports, but still has a total of 150 million followers across Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. This year, he drops one position in our ranking.
Beckham is one of the most globally visible athletes in the media. In addition to posting very frequently on social media, he regularly signs advertising deals with several brands and maintains a very active business life. Dropping from seventh to eighth place in the ranking, the former English soccer player has a total of 143.9 million followers across Facebook and Instagram, since he does not have an official Twitter account.
This French soccer player of Algerian descent made headlines during the last World Cup because, in addition to missing the tournament due to injury, he also announced that he would no longer be part of the French national team, where he played as a forward. He currently plays for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club. Karim is also a major success on social media, with a total of 138.9 million followers across his Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.
Sergio Ramos is another well-known Spanish soccer player, currently a defender for C. F. Monterrey in Mexico’s top division, and he rounds out our top 10 most popular athletes. Across his Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts, he has more than 124.2 million fans.
That wraps up our ranking of the most-followed athletes on social media, but if you want to keep exploring the world of sports on these platforms, here is our ranking of the most followed influencers in the world.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Δ