Most football power rankings ask one question: Which team is playing best right now? This one asks the same kind of question about social media. Instead of goals, wins, and league form, the La Liga clubs in this analysis compete through followers, growth, posts, and interaction on Instagram and TikTok. That creates a ranking of social media performance in which the biggest profile does not automatically take first place.

This launch edition captures the beginning of the 2026/27 season and compares 20 supplied clubs across 40 Instagram and TikTok profiles. The 82 day measurement period runs from May 25, after the final games of the previous season, through August 14, just before the first games of the new season. Complete TikTok data was not available for Levante UD, so its full TikTok and overall rankings are not included. We will examine the individual metrics first, then reveal the Instagram, TikTok, and provisional overall rankings at the end.

How the ranking works

Each club is ranked across four metrics on Instagram and the same four metrics on TikTok. Looking at all four gives a more complete picture of social media performance than follower count alone. The metrics used on both platforms are:

• Follower count
• Follower growth rate
• Number of posts
• Post interaction rate

All category positions carry equal weight. The four category positions for each platform are averaged to create the final Instagram and TikTok rankings. The overall power ranking is calculated separately by averaging the eight individual category positions, not by averaging a club’s final Instagram and TikTok positions. A lower average ranking position indicates a stronger all around result. The method rewards balance, but it measures relative placement rather than the size of the gaps.

Fanpage Karma returned no TikTok follower count or growth rate for Levante UD, while its reported 0% interaction rate is not evaluable because the profile published no posts. Levante can therefore be ranked on Instagram and in the available TikTok posting metric, but it cannot receive a complete TikTok or overall position. The final TikTok ranking includes the 19 profiles with evaluable data across all four metrics. For the provisional overall ranking, every category is recalculated across those same 19 profiles. Nine TikTok profiles also share a reported follower growth rate of exactly 0%, so each of them receives eighth place in that category.

Instagram: The big teams lead on size, but not on everything

Instagram begins with a familiar advantage for the biggest clubs, but follower count is only the first test. Growth, posting volume, and post interaction rate quickly bring different profiles to the top. The four rankings show why a large audience does not guarantee the strongest overall Instagram performance.

Instagram follower count

Follower count shows the size of each Instagram audience at the end of the analyzed period. The results below rank the profiles from the largest audience to the smallest.

1. Real Madrid, 180,414,505
2. FC Barcelona, 147,626,248
3. Atlético de Madrid, 17,937,479
4. Sevilla FC, 3,616,823
5. Real Betis, 3,229,181
6. Villarreal CF, 1,731,460
7. Athletic Club, 1,701,239
8. Valencia CF, 1,452,692
9. Real Sociedad, 1,318,608
10. Celta, 721,915
11. Getafe CF, 579,005
12. RCD Espanyol, 544,967
13. Elche CF, 509,224
14. Málaga CF, 481,138
15. CA Osasuna, 415,855
16. Rayo Vallecano, 409,818
17. RC Deportivo, 398,998
18. Levante UD, 391,637
19. Deportivo Alavés, 245,102
20. Real Racing Club, 226,739

Real Madrid leads with 180,414,505 followers, while Real Racing Club has the smallest audience in the supplied set with 226,739. That difference establishes scale, but it says nothing yet about momentum, publishing activity, or how actively followers respond to posts.

Instagram follower growth

Follower growth rate shows the reported percentage change in each Instagram audience during the 82 day period. The results below rank the profiles from the highest growth rate to the lowest.

1. Málaga CF, 27.54%
2. RC Deportivo, 21.00%
3. Real Racing Club, 15.93%
4. Celta, 6.94%
5. Elche CF, 5.74%
6. Levante UD, 5.15%
7. Rayo Vallecano, 3.31%
8. Valencia CF, 2.91%
9. Real Betis, 2.58%
10. Getafe CF, 1.95%
11. FC Barcelona, 1.60%
12. Athletic Club, 1.56%
13. Real Madrid, 0.94%
14. Atlético de Madrid, 0.87%
15. Real Sociedad, 0.79%
16. Deportivo Alavés, 0.77%
17. CA Osasuna, 0.34%
18. Villarreal CF, 0.07%
19. RCD Espanyol, −0.34%
20. Sevilla FC, −1.42%

Málaga CF leads at 27.54%, followed by RC Deportivo at 21.00% and Real Racing Club at 15.93%. All three sit in the lower half of the follower count ranking, which is exactly why growth belongs in the score. It captures movement that a static audience total can hide.

Instagram posting volume

Posting volume counts how many Instagram posts each profile published during the analyzed period. The results below rank the clubs from the highest output to the lowest.

1. Real Betis, 710 posts
2. Real Madrid, 696 posts
3. Athletic Club, 595 posts
4. Atlético de Madrid, 591 posts
5. Getafe CF, 554 posts
6. Celta, 457 posts
7. Málaga CF, 424 posts
8. Real Sociedad, 418 posts
9. FC Barcelona, 415 posts
10. RC Deportivo, 404 posts
11. Deportivo Alavés, 399 posts
12. Elche CF, 370 posts
13. Valencia CF, 350 posts
14. Sevilla FC, 334 posts
15. Real Racing Club, 331 posts
16. Villarreal CF, 320 posts
17. RCD Espanyol, 300 posts
18. CA Osasuna, 242 posts
19. Levante UD, 178 posts
20. Rayo Vallecano, 152 posts

Real Betis leads Instagram activity with 710 posts, narrowly ahead of Real Madrid with 696. Every club in the supplied set published more posts on Instagram than on TikTok, although volume alone does not show whether those posts generated a response.

Instagram post interaction rate

Post interaction rate shows the reported level of audience interaction with published Instagram content. The results below rank the profiles from the highest interaction rate to the lowest.

1. Real Racing Club, 2.78%
2. RC Deportivo, 2.53%
3. Levante UD, 2.40%
4. Málaga CF, 2.36%
5. Elche CF, 1.68%
6. Rayo Vallecano, 1.30%
7. Celta, 1.25%
8. CA Osasuna, 1.04%
9. Real Betis, 0.70%
10. FC Barcelona, 0.67%
11. Real Sociedad, 0.59%
12. Deportivo Alavés, 0.59%
13. Valencia CF, 0.57%
14. Athletic Club, 0.53%
15. RCD Espanyol, 0.51%
16. Getafe CF, 0.43%
17. Real Madrid, 0.38%
18. Sevilla FC, 0.35%
19. Villarreal CF, 0.34%
20. Atlético de Madrid, 0.29%

Real Racing Club leads at 2.78% despite having the smallest Instagram audience in the group. RC Deportivo follows at 2.53%, with Málaga CF fourth at 2.36%. Smaller profiles do not need to match the giants in audience size to compete when community response is part of the calculation.

TikTok: A different race takes shape

TikTok begins with a major audience advantage for the biggest clubs, but follower count is only one part of the picture. Growth, posting volume, and post interaction rate bring very different profiles into contention. Complete TikTok data was not available for Levante UD, so the profile appears only where a usable value was returned and is not included in the final TikTok ranking.

TikTok follower count

Follower count shows the reported size of each TikTok audience at the end of the analyzed period. The results below rank the available values from the largest audience to the smallest.

1. Real Madrid, 76,000,000
2. FC Barcelona, 70,600,000
3. Atlético de Madrid, 33,900,000
4. Real Sociedad, 16,800,000
5. Real Betis, 13,900,000
6. Sevilla FC, 12,900,000
7. Athletic Club, 10,600,000
8. Celta, 10,500,000
9. Valencia CF, 9,600,000
10. RCD Espanyol, 7,300,000
11. CA Osasuna, 5,700,000
12. Getafe CF, 5,400,000
13. Deportivo Alavés, 5,200,000
14. Villarreal CF, 3,700,000
15. Elche CF, 3,100,000
16. Real Racing Club, 1,900,000
17. Málaga CF, 1,600,000
18. Rayo Vallecano, 969,800
19. RC Deportivo, 776,500

Real Madrid leads with 76 million followers, followed by FC Barcelona with 70.6 million. RC Deportivo ranks 19th with 776,500. No TikTok follower count was returned for Levante UD, so the profile has no position in this metric.

TikTok follower growth

Follower growth rate shows the reported percentage change in each TikTok audience during the 82 day period. The results below rank the available values from the highest growth rate to the lowest.

1. RC Deportivo, 5.55%
2. FC Barcelona, 4.44%
3. Real Madrid, 4.25%
4. Sevilla FC, 3.20%
5. Atlético de Madrid, 3.04%
6. Valencia CF, 2.13%
7. Real Betis, 1.46%
8. Deportivo Alavés, 0%
8. Real Sociedad, 0%
8. Villarreal CF, 0%
8. Celta, 0%
8. Getafe CF, 0%
8. Málaga CF, 0%
8. RCD Espanyol, 0%
8. Elche CF, 0%
8. Real Racing Club, 0%
17. Rayo Vallecano, −0.41%
18. Athletic Club, −0.93%
19. CA Osasuna, −1.72%

RC Deportivo moves from last place in follower count to first in growth at 5.55%. FC Barcelona follows at 4.44%, with Real Madrid at 4.25%. No TikTok growth value was returned for Levante UD, so the profile has no position in this metric. Nine profiles share eighth place because they have the same reported growth rate of 0%.

TikTok posting volume

Posting volume counts how many TikTok posts each profile published during the analyzed period. The results below rank the clubs from the highest output to the lowest.

1. Real Madrid, 331 posts
2. Atlético de Madrid, 290 posts
3. FC Barcelona, 219 posts
4. Real Betis, 155 posts
5. Sevilla FC, 151 posts
6. Athletic Club, 146 posts
6. Deportivo Alavés, 146 posts
8. Celta, 106 posts
9. RC Deportivo, 105 posts
10. Villarreal CF, 102 posts
11. Valencia CF, 88 posts
12. Real Racing Club, 84 posts
13. Málaga CF, 75 posts
14. Getafe CF, 74 posts
15. Elche CF, 62 posts
16. RCD Espanyol, 59 posts
17. Real Sociedad, 53 posts
18. CA Osasuna, 33 posts
19. Rayo Vallecano, 1 post
20. Levante UD, 0 posts

Real Madrid published 331 posts, ahead of Atlético de Madrid with 290 and FC Barcelona with 219. Athletic Club and Deportivo Alavés share sixth place with 146 posts each. At the other end, Rayo Vallecano published once and Levante UD did not publish during the period. The available post count does not provide enough information for a complete TikTok ranking for Levante.

TikTok post interaction rate

Post interaction rate shows the reported level of audience interaction with published TikTok content. The results below rank the evaluable rates from highest to lowest.

1. RC Deportivo, 1.35%
2. Málaga CF, 1.22%
3. Elche CF, 0.86%
4. FC Barcelona, 0.84%
5. Real Madrid, 0.68%
6. Real Betis, 0.38%
7. Getafe CF, 0.37%
8. RCD Espanyol, 0.32%
9. Villarreal CF, 0.30%
10. Atlético de Madrid, 0.15%
11. Rayo Vallecano, 0.15%
12. Athletic Club, 0.14%
13. Celta, 0.13%
14. Real Sociedad, 0.13%
15. Real Racing Club, 0.12%
16. Sevilla FC, 0.12%
17. CA Osasuna, 0.10%
18. Valencia CF, 0.061%
19. Deportivo Alavés, 0.017%

RC Deportivo leads at 1.35%, even though it ranks 19th in TikTok followers. Málaga CF follows at 1.22%, while Elche CF places third at 0.86%. The dashboard reports 0% for Levante UD, but that value is not evaluable because the profile published no posts. Levante therefore has no position in this metric.

And the social media winners are…

With every category decided, it is time to reveal which clubs finish on top on Instagram, TikTok, and overall. Each result is based on the average ranking position shown to two decimal places, and a lower average is better.

Final Instagram ranking

The Instagram result averages each club’s four Instagram category positions. The lower the average ranking position, the better. The results below show the final Instagram ranking, with tied clubs assigned the same place:

1. Real Betis, 6.00 average position
2. Málaga CF, 6.50 average position
3. Celta, 6.75 average position
4. RC Deportivo, 7.75 average position
5. FC Barcelona, 8.00 average position
6. Real Madrid, 8.25 average position
7. Elche CF, 8.75 average position
8. Athletic Club, 9.00 average position
9. Real Racing Club, 9.75 average position
10. Atlético de Madrid, 10.25 average position
11. Getafe CF, 10.50 average position
11. Valencia CF, 10.50 average position
13. Real Sociedad, 10.75 average position
14. Levante UD, 11.50 average position
15. Rayo Vallecano, 12.25 average position
16. Sevilla FC, 14.00 average position
17. Deportivo Alavés, 14.50 average position
17. CA Osasuna, 14.50 average position
19. Villarreal CF, 14.75 average position
20. RCD Espanyol, 15.75 average position

Real Betis wins Instagram with an average ranking position of 6.00. Its 710 posts provide the category victory, while solid positions in followers, growth, and interaction keep the average low. Málaga CF follows at 6.50 after leading follower growth and placing fourth for interaction. Celta takes third with 6.75 through strong positions in growth, publishing volume, and interaction.

Final TikTok ranking

The TikTok result averages each club’s four TikTok category positions. The lower the average ranking position, the better. The results below show the final TikTok ranking for the 19 profiles with evaluable data across all four metrics, with tied clubs assigned the same place. Levante UD is not included because its complete TikTok data was unavailable.

1. Real Madrid, 2.50 average position
2. FC Barcelona, 2.75 average position
3. Atlético de Madrid, 5.00 average position
4. Real Betis, 5.50 average position
5. RC Deportivo, 7.50 average position
6. Sevilla FC, 7.75 average position
7. Celta, 9.25 average position
8. Málaga CF, 10.00 average position
9. Villarreal CF, 10.25 average position
9. Getafe CF, 10.25 average position
9. Elche CF, 10.25 average position
12. RCD Espanyol, 10.50 average position
13. Athletic Club, 10.75 average position
13. Real Sociedad, 10.75 average position
15. Valencia CF, 11.00 average position
16. Deportivo Alavés, 11.50 average position
17. Real Racing Club, 12.75 average position
18. Rayo Vallecano, 16.25 average position
18. CA Osasuna, 16.25 average position

Real Madrid wins TikTok with an average ranking position of 2.50 after taking first place in both follower count and posting volume. FC Barcelona follows at 2.75, with Atlético de Madrid third at 5.00. RC Deportivo reaches fifth despite having the smallest reported audience, thanks to first place in both growth and interaction. Levante UD has no final TikTok position because the required data was incomplete.

And here are the 2026/27 La Liga Social Media Power Rankings to start the season

The overall power ranking is calculated directly from each club’s positions in the four Instagram categories and four TikTok categories. The final Instagram and TikTok rankings are summaries and do not affect this calculation. Every category is recalculated across the same 19 complete profiles, and the eight category positions are then averaged. The lower the average ranking position, the better. Levante UD is not included because its complete TikTok data was unavailable.

1. FC Barcelona, 5.13 average position
1. Real Madrid, 5.13 average position
3. Real Betis, 5.50 average position
4. Atlético de Madrid, 7.38 average position
5. RC Deportivo, 7.63 average position
6. Celta, 7.88 average position
7. Málaga CF, 8.13 average position
8. Elche CF, 9.38 average position
9. Athletic Club, 9.63 average position
10. Getafe CF, 10.13 average position
11. Real Sociedad, 10.50 average position
11. Valencia CF, 10.50 average position
13. Sevilla FC, 10.63 average position
14. Real Racing Club, 11.13 average position
15. Villarreal CF, 12.25 average position
16. Deportivo Alavés, 12.63 average position
17. RCD Espanyol, 12.88 average position
18. Rayo Vallecano, 13.88 average position
19. CA Osasuna, 15.13 average position

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid share first place with an average ranking position of 5.13, but they reach it through different combinations. Real Madrid dominates several measures of scale and activity. FC Barcelona combines its enormous audiences with stronger interaction positions on both platforms. Equal weighting leaves the two clubs level at the top.

Real Betis finishes third with an average ranking position of 5.50 after winning Instagram and placing fourth on TikTok. Atlético de Madrid follows in fourth at 7.38, with RC Deportivo fifth at 7.63. Levante UD has no overall position because its missing TikTok follower and growth values, together with an interaction rate that cannot be evaluated, prevent a complete eight metric average.

The next round starts here

The first verdict is clear: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid share the overall lead, Real Betis takes Instagram, and Real Madrid wins TikTok. Yet the most revealing results come from the challengers, with Málaga CF leading Instagram growth, Real Racing Club topping Instagram interaction, and RC Deportivo leading both TikTok growth and interaction. Levante UD appears wherever data was available but has no complete TikTok or overall ranking. For social media teams, the lesson is simple: combine several category rankings and define weighting, ties, and missing data before drawing conclusions. Follow up rankings at midseason and the end of the season will show whether the leaders hold firm and whether the fastest growing profiles can turn momentum into larger audiences.