{"id":1932,"date":"2026-06-11T14:41:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T14:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=1932"},"modified":"2026-06-11T14:41:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T14:41:21","slug":"world-cup-2026-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=1932","title":{"rendered":"With the World Cup looming, there\u2019s still no clear replacement for sports Twitter"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Three years ago, when the women\u2019s World Cup kicked off in Australia and New Zealand, my social feeds were in a strange place. Twitter had just transformed into X<\/a>, newcomer Threads was seemingly ascendant<\/a>, and places like Bluesky had yet to garner much momentum. It left me with an odd, and admittedly silly, dilemma: I had nowhere good to post dumb jokes during games<\/a>. And now, as the next World Cup is set to begin across Canada, the US, and Mexico, not much has changed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There were a lot of problems with Twitter even when it was at its most popular, but it also introduced a new kind of live experience for many. Its real-time nature and huge audience of nerds from different communities turned live events, from a World Cup to E3, into a feed of commentary, jokes, and highlights that served as a perfect second-screen experience. It turned solitary experiences into something more communal and was something that had become so ingrained that I didn\u2019t think about it much until it was gone. That happened around 2023, when Twitter, now X, became so toxic that many users, myself included, decided to jump ship.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In a lot of ways, including personal ones, that was a good thing. I certainly could do with one less app trying to suck up all of my attention. But Twitter did serve some valuable functions, both as a news source and as a community-building experience. And the exodus of users has fractured things such that there\u2019s really no service that does what Twitter did at its peak. Some of the sports community remains on X, but the platform keeps getting worse<\/a>. In theory, Threads is a viable alternative, with its seemingly huge user base<\/a> boosted by integration with Instagram. But it never really feels<\/em> alive, particularly in the moment, due largely to its algorithmic feed that keeps you from seeing the latest thing in favor of whatever thing Threads wants to show you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I had high hopes for Bluesky. Back in 2024, myself and other Twitter expats watched Netflix\u2019s Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson \u201cfight\u201d with a kind of nihilistic glee<\/a>, and the fledgling social network was up to the task. A ridiculous spectacle was turned into something even more entertaining as jokes and screenshots flooded Bluesky in real-time. It felt bustling in the same way that Twitter used to. But in the intervening years, I\u2019ve seen that happen again only sparingly, and rarely during sporting events. Bluesky was fairly alive during Summer Game Fest<\/a> and the Zelda<\/em>-powered Nintendo Direct<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But my feed has largely been a ghost town when it comes to large-scale sports. And it\u2019s not like there hasn\u2019t been the opportunity: In recent weeks, there\u2019s been finals for the NBA, Stanley Cup, and Champions League. There was some noise last night when OG Anunoby scored a miraculous game winner for the Knicks, but outside of that and some gags about how tall Victor Wembanyama is<\/a>, these events haven\u2019t made much of a dent in my feed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The response in the lead-up to the World Cup, meanwhile, has been particularly muted. There\u2019s a good reason for this beyond shifting platform dynamics: The vibes around this World Cup have been rancid. The tournament is run by an openly corrupt organization<\/a>, and most of the matches are being held in a country that seems intent on using the event as a sportswashing exercise<\/a> meant to distract from brutal immigration policies, high-level corruption, and plenty more. It\u2019s not that I haven\u2019t seen any information about the World Cup on Bluesky, but it\u2019s primarily been headlines about a veteran Somali ref unable to get into the US<\/a>, or the Iranian team being forced to fly in and out of the country on every match day<\/a>, or absurdly expensive ticket prices leading to worrying attendance figures<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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All that said, the vibes have been pretty terrible in the lead-up to most recent World Cup tournaments, dating back to Russia in 2018, and there was still plenty of excitement come game days. One thrilling match<\/a> can overshadow a lot of bad. Being a modern sports fan involves some level of cognitive dissonance; I love the game itself, and the way it brings together a global community, but am loath to support most of the institutions that benefit from events like the World Cup. It\u2019s an uneasy balance, where I\u2019m cognizant of just how terrible FIFA is, but will still be watching when Canada takes the field.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I also know I\u2019m not alone in that. The World Cup is the biggest sporting event on the planet, one that only happens every four years, ensuring hype is at a fever pitch by the time the tournament starts. The 2026 edition is filled with compelling storylines \u2014 it\u2019s the last dance for legends like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and the first shot at glory for the likes of Lamine Yamal \u2014 so plenty of people will be tuning in, especially with an expanded lineup of teams. The bad vibes aren\u2019t enough to explain the relative silence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Maybe the real answer is that Twitter circa 2018 was a flash in the pan, a kind of singular experience that won\u2019t ever be replicated, particularly as the internet becomes more fractured and destabilized. Maybe that\u2019s not such a bad thing. But as someone who spent years posting after seeing a highlight-reel goal as a reflex, I can\u2019t help but miss it \u2014 watching the opening World Cup matches just won\u2019t be the same.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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