CBF x Samba: Taking the Seleção Global at the World Cup

Mission

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup being played in the United States, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) partnered with an agency for the first time to accelerate the Seleção’s international growth. Samba Digital was tasked with engaging global audiences in English, with Instagram and TikTok as priority platforms.

Approach

Samba built an English-language content layer on top of the Seleção’s existing channels, designed to reach international fans without diluting the team’s Brazilian voice.

• Geo-Targeted Distribution
  Through Instagram geofencing, English-language posts were served only to audiences in priority international territories. Brazilian fans kept their Portuguese feed, while international fans received content built for them.
• Native English Localization
  Rather than translating Portuguese posts word for word, Samba adapted captions, formats and storytelling to international football culture, so the Seleção could speak to the world in its own language.
• Tournament-Paced Content
  Publishing followed the rhythm of the competition: matchday build-up, key moments and player-focused content, sustaining momentum from the group stage through the end of Brazil’s campaign.

Results

• +3.4M new followers outside Brazil
• 64M impressions
• 18M video views
• 64 posts published

The Seleção finished the tournament as the #1 national team worldwide for Instagram follower growth, with more than +5.2M new followers gained during the World Cup, proof that a targeted, localized approach can turn a global event into lasting international audience growth.

@brasil Let’s keep working together! 💪 #FIFAWorldCup #Brasil #Neymar #SportsTikTok ♬ Originalton – Onkel E