Women's World Cup players with the most Instagram influence ranked, ft Lehmann & Rapinoe | OneFootball

Excitement for the 2023 Women’s World Cup is ramping up, and rightly so.

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It’s set to be the most competitive tournament yet, and will feature 32 teams for the first time in history.

Star players such as England’s Chloe Kelly, Norway’s Ada Hegerberg and France’s Wendie Renard are all heading to Australia and New Zealand, while a number of new talents will soon emerge on the world stage.

The Women’s World Cup will also be an opportunity for players to grow their social media following, but who already has a significant profile?

Data analysts Gracenote Nielsen have listed the top 10 Instagram influencers among Women’s World Cup players, evaluating followers, follower growth, engagement rate, audience reachability and average brand value per post.

This has determined which players deliver the most social media value to their sponsors.

So without further ado, here’s the top 10 Instagram influencers heading out to Australia and New Zealand this summer.

10 Sam Kerr: Australia/Chelsea

Followers: 1.2 million

Follower growth: 30%

Engagement rate: 5%

Average media value of branded posts: £17,766

Kerr, who is set to captain co-hosts Australia at the Women’s World Cup, will be hoping to add to her record tally of 63 goals for her country.

The Chelsea striker is certainly one of the most iconic players in women’s football, whether it's for her backflip celebrations or for gracing the front cover of FIFA 23 alongside Kylian Mbappe.

9 Sakina Karchaoui: France/PSG

Followers: 722,000

Follower growth: 27%

Engagement rate: 11%

Average media value of branded posts: £23,238

Karchaoui joined Paris St-Germain in the summer of 2021, having previously played for Montpellier and Lyon.

The left-back has played for France since 2016 and particularly impressed at Euro 2022, helping her country reach the semi-finals by providing two assists. Karchaoui was subsequently named in UEFA’s team of the tournament.

8 Alessia Russo: England/Free Agent

Followers: 464,000

Follower growth: 280%

Engagement rate: 15%

Average media value of branded posts: £14,016

Russo was one of the key players that helped the Lionesses to Euro 2022 glory, scoring four goals after coming on as a substitute in every match.

This included her iconic nutmeg goal against Sweden in the semi-finals.

The striker is now involved in one of the most high-profile transfer sagas in women’s football, having decided to leave Manchester United at the end of the season. Arsenal is looking the most likely to be her next destination.

7 Jule Brand: Germany/Wolfsburg

Followers: 201,000

Follower growth: 517%

Engagement rate: 30%

Average media value of branded posts: £11,397

Brand has achieved the highest follower growth on Instagram of the players in the top 10, and she also boasts the highest engagement rate.

The versatile player currently stars for Champions League and Bundesliga runners-up Wolfsburg, and will be featuring for Germany at the Women’s World Cup. Brand already has major tournament experience, having played at Euro 2022.

6 Megan Rapinoe: US/OL Reign

Followers: 2.1 million

Follower growth: -3%

Engagement rate: 2%

Average media value of branded posts: £12,998

Rapinoe has actually lost followers recently, but she’s still one of the most recognisable players heading to the Women’s World Cup this summer.

The winger has played at three World Cups already, and has won two titles. She earned the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at the 2019 edition, as well as angering the US President at the time, Donald Trump.

Rapinoe has also played a crucial role in securing equal pay for the US women’s national team.

5 Marta: Brazil/Orlando Pride

Followers: 2.5 million

Follower growth: -1%

Engagement rate: 1%

Average media value of branded posts: £10,070

Marta is another player to lose followers recently, but her legendary status in women’s football will never slip.

The Brazilian forward will be playing at her sixth Women’s World Cup this summer, and has scored a record 17 goals at the tournament.

It is no surprise to see one of the best female footballers to ever grace the pitch in this top 10 Instagram influencers list.

Followers: 1.6 million

Follower growth: -15%

Engagement rate: 10%

Average media value of branded posts: £59,836

Huitema is a highly-rated youngster who helped Canada to Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020.

The forward, who has been touted as the successor to the legendary Christine Sinclair, found internet fame during a former relationship with Bayern Munich player and fellow Canadian Alphonso Davies.

The couple, who regularly posted vlogs and videos on their YouTube channel, broke up last year.

3 Alex Morgan: USA/San Diego Wave

Followers: 10 million

Follower growth: 5%

Engagement rate: 1%

Average media value of branded posts: £43,752

Morgan, the second American player to feature on this list, will be playing at her fourth Women’s World Cup.

The striker has played more than 200 times for her country and scored 121 goals. She is no stranger to finding herself on lists such as these – Morgan was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2019 and 2022.

2 Alexia Putellas: Spain/Barcelona

Followers: 2.9 million

Follower growth: 65%

Engagement rate: 12%

Average media value of branded posts: £88,853

Putellas has been recovering from an ACL injury for much of the past year, but she’s still gained a whole lot of new followers on Instagram.

The midfield maestro, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, will be relieved to have recovered in time for the Women’s World Cup. Putellas will be hoping to show just why she’s regarded as the best women’s football player around right now.

1 Alisha Lehmann: Switzerland/Aston Villa

Followers: 13.5 million

Follower growth: 75%

Engagement rate: 7%

Average media value of branded posts: £241,314

It’s no surprise to see Alisha Lehmann heading up the top 10 Instagram influencers off to the Women’s World Cup.

The midfielder has more Instagram followers than her Swiss compatriot Roger Federer – one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Lehmann was key to Aston Villa’s surge up the Women’s Super League last season, and she is back to play for Switzerland at a major tournament after taking a mental health break during Euro 2022.