FIFA World Cup 2026 kicked off on June 11, pushing the tournament’s official Instagram account up by nearly 9 million followers in a single month, the largest gain across this month’s UK top ten. A World Cup-driven surge, Dua Lipa’s wedding coverage, and the “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” rollout defined most of the list, with two independent creators growing on their own terms alongside them.
Here are the fastest-growing UK Instagram accounts from last month:
The tournament’s official account posted the month’s largest gain by a wide margin as the 2026 World Cup kicked off June 11 across the U.S., Mexico and Canada, the first 48-team edition in the competition’s history.
The Bayern Munich winger emerged as one of France’s standout names across the group stage, then helped drive a 3-0 Round of 32 win over Sweden with two assists and a near-miss acrobatic effort off the post.
The “Off Campus” star’s breakout continued into June with a steady run of press and podcast appearances as the Prime Video series’ popularity kept building.
Argentina’s defending champion goalkeeper remained in the World Cup conversation as the team advanced through group-stage wins over Algeria, Austria, and Jordan, after he entered the tournament recovering from a finger injury.
The London-based Siberian husky built her following the way she always has, through short-form video and public meet-and-greets around the city, with no single event behind June’s gain.
The singer shared her first wedding photos on Instagram on June 2, followed by coverage of the couple’s three-day Sicily celebration with actor Callum Turner, extending a story that began with their May 31 London ceremony.
The “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” trailer dropped in mid-June, and Holland carried the rollout through press stops in Madrid, Berlin and Paris ahead of the film’s July release.
The Chelsea midfielder featured as Argentina advanced from Group J and then survived a 3-2 extra-time Round of 32 win over Cape Verde, part of the broader wave of attention around the defending champions.
The official Formula 1 account grew across a month that included the Barcelona-Catalunya and Austrian Grands Prix, part of a season built around all-new 2026 technical regulations.
The family-run cooking account, led by its four-year-old star, kept growing through the same steady schedule of short-form recipe videos that has driven its rise since 2024.
The World Cup Surge
Four of this month’s ten entries are aligned to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which kicked off on June 11 across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. The tournament’s own account saw the clearest direct lift. Michael Olise emerged as France’s breakout name across the group stage and into the knockouts, while Emiliano Martínez and Enzo Fernández both benefited from the broader wave of attention around Argentina’s title defense, on top of their own group-stage and Round of 32 appearances.
Creators Building Without a Moment
Two accounts in this month’s top ten grew without a tournament, wedding, or film premiere behind them. Viola the Husky is an independent pet-content creator built entirely on short-form video and in-person meet-and-greets around London, with no institution, franchise, or news cycle behind the page, just a posting rhythm that has carried her account past five million followers. Cooking with Carter follows the same pattern: a family-run account centered on its four-year-old star’s cooking videos, growing on the same schedule it has kept since 2024 rather than off any single viral clip or media appearance. Both stand apart from a list otherwise shaped by a World Cup, a wedding, and a movie release.
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
FIFA World Cup 2026 kicked off on June 11, pushing the tournament’s official Instagram account up by nearly 9 million followers in a single month, the largest gain across this month’s UK top ten. A World Cup-driven surge, Dua Lipa’s wedding coverage, and the “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” rollout defined most of the list, with two independent creators growing on their own terms alongside them.
Here are the fastest-growing UK Instagram accounts from last month:
#1. FIFA World Cup | @fifaworldcup
Gained: +8.9M followers
June total: 64.7M followers
The tournament’s official account posted the month’s largest gain by a wide margin as the 2026 World Cup kicked off June 11 across the U.S., Mexico and Canada, the first 48-team edition in the competition’s history.
#2. Michael Olise | @m.olise
Gained: +2.5M followers
June total: 7.6M followers
The Bayern Munich winger emerged as one of France’s standout names across the group stage, then helped drive a 3-0 Round of 32 win over Sweden with two assists and a near-miss acrobatic effort off the post.
#3. Ella Bright | @ellabright__
Gained: +1.9M followers
June total: 5.5M followers
The “Off Campus” star’s breakout continued into June with a steady run of press and podcast appearances as the Prime Video series’ popularity kept building.
#4. Emiliano Martínez | @emi_martinez26
Gained: +1.1M followers
June total: 15.1M followers
Argentina’s defending champion goalkeeper remained in the World Cup conversation as the team advanced through group-stage wins over Algeria, Austria, and Jordan, after he entered the tournament recovering from a finger injury.
#5. Viola the Husky | @_violasnow
Gained: +872K followers
June total: 5.3M followers
The London-based Siberian husky built her following the way she always has, through short-form video and public meet-and-greets around the city, with no single event behind June’s gain.
#6. Dua Lipa | @dualipa
Gained: +793K followers
June total: 88.5M followers
The singer shared her first wedding photos on Instagram on June 2, followed by coverage of the couple’s three-day Sicily celebration with actor Callum Turner, extending a story that began with their May 31 London ceremony.
#7. Tom Holland | @tomholland2013
Gained: +646K followers
June total: 64.4M followers
The “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” trailer dropped in mid-June, and Holland carried the rollout through press stops in Madrid, Berlin and Paris ahead of the film’s July release.
#8. Enzo Fernández | @enzojfernandez
Gained: +636K followers
June total: 13.0M followers
The Chelsea midfielder featured as Argentina advanced from Group J and then survived a 3-2 extra-time Round of 32 win over Cape Verde, part of the broader wave of attention around the defending champions.
#9. F1 | @f1
Gained: +574K followers
June total: 43.1M followers
The official Formula 1 account grew across a month that included the Barcelona-Catalunya and Austrian Grands Prix, part of a season built around all-new 2026 technical regulations.
#10. Cooking with Carter | @cookingwithcarterofficial
Gained: +525K followers
June total: 2.7M followers
The family-run cooking account, led by its four-year-old star, kept growing through the same steady schedule of short-form recipe videos that has driven its rise since 2024.
The World Cup Surge
Four of this month’s ten entries are aligned to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which kicked off on June 11 across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. The tournament’s own account saw the clearest direct lift. Michael Olise emerged as France’s breakout name across the group stage and into the knockouts, while Emiliano Martínez and Enzo Fernández both benefited from the broader wave of attention around Argentina’s title defense, on top of their own group-stage and Round of 32 appearances.
Creators Building Without a Moment
Two accounts in this month’s top ten grew without a tournament, wedding, or film premiere behind them. Viola the Husky is an independent pet-content creator built entirely on short-form video and in-person meet-and-greets around London, with no institution, franchise, or news cycle behind the page, just a posting rhythm that has carried her account past five million followers. Cooking with Carter follows the same pattern: a family-run account centered on its four-year-old star’s cooking videos, growing on the same schedule it has kept since 2024 rather than off any single viral clip or media appearance. Both stand apart from a list otherwise shaped by a World Cup, a wedding, and a movie release.
Data from HypeAuditor, June 2026
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