The world of sports marketing is constantly evolving, but few campaigns have demonstrated the raw, grassroots power of a devoted digital community quite like the takeover of Claudia Pina’s Instagram by FC 26 players.
What began as an organic wave of appreciation for the FC Barcelona star’s lethal in game performance has transformed into a viral marketing phenomenon, proving that authentic engagement is the single best tool for promoting women’s football to a massive, global audience.
The foundation of this marketing success lies not in a carefully crafted, multi million dollar ad campaign, but in the simple fact that Claudia Pina’s card in the game to put it mildly, a cheat code.
With her stats perfectly matching the meta and her Low Driven PlayStyle+, she has become an Ultimate Team cult hero a player revered by the gaming community for her devastating finishing ability in the final third.
Players, captivated by her on screen excellence, began to flood the comments section of Pina’s personal Instagram posts with references to her in game performance: “Queen of FC 26,” “Thank you for the 77 goals in 55 games,” and pleas like “Please quit football, I can’t continue playing FC 26 like this!”
FC 26 players are starting to take over Pina's Instagram 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/d9tBNl0Yrz
— Jake (@Jake_FutTrading) October 8, 2025
For years, women’s football has struggled to consistently convert fans from one platform to another. The FC 26 phenomenon creates a seamless, natural bridge.
Gamers, initially drawn to an abstract collection of stats, are now seeking out the real Claudia Pina. They are watching FC Barcelona Femení matches, checking Women’s Champions League scores, and becoming emotionally invested in her actual career to see their in game hero validated.
There was backlash from some players when Women were added in FC 24 especially with them sharing the highest ratings alongside their male counterparts. Fortunately the response has been positive since adding women to the game.
After being added to the game many women’s matches started setting attendances records and some high profile games were also being played at the main stadiums rather than small grounds, showing the growing interest in women’s football.
Video games, particularly titles like EA FC, command a massive, often young, and predominantly male audience, a demographic that women’s football has actively sought to engage.
By integrating female players as equals in the Ultimate Team mode, and by having a player like Pina stand out as meta, the game unintentionally forced millions of users to engage with, respect, and rely on a female athlete’s skill. The Instagram takeover is the public manifestation of this respect.
For women’s football to continue its rapid ascent, it must leverage these games not just as promotional platforms, but as integral parts of the fan experience. The FC 26 community has spoken, they love a winner, they especially love a meta player, and right now, that player is Claudia Pina.
