The internet has spent years telling us that the world is more divided than ever. But recently, a German guy eating Waffle House at 1 a.m. and losing his mind over a freestyle soda machine made a compelling case otherwise.
The 2026 World Cup is doing something the platforms have been trying to manufacture for years — it’s creating genuine, cross-cultural connection in real time. And the tech industry is not letting that moment pass without building something on top of it.
Meanwhile, back in real estate, Google is making progress on what could become the most consequential shift in listing visibility in years. It will certainly have an impact on your SEO practices to some extent. And Instagram has finally brought an update so many have been requesting for what seems like forever: The ability to reorder your profile grid.
World Cup fans are going viral falling in love with America
The 2026 FIFA World Cup brought fans from across the world to North America this summer, and for a lot of them, the tournament is a secondary storyline. The real content is the culture shock.
German soccer fan Freddy has become a social media sensation documenting his road trip through the American South on his way to Houston. Waffle House at 1 a.m., Taco Bell described as “the holy land.” A stop at Wendy’s, where he encountered his first freestyle soda machine. A visit to a Bavarian-themed Helen, Georgia, which he found more amusing than anyone expected. He watched NBA Finals Game 3 from a Chili’s in Chattanooga. Fellow German influencer Fiago had a similar run in Chicago — ate at Portillo’s three times, visited the Bean and wrote “they do everything right here” in a post alongside a photo of a giant American flag at a Macy’s.
The content is resonating because it is genuinely warm. These are not fish-out-of-water jokes at America’s expense. Freddy and Fiago are delighted, and their audiences can tell.
What this means for real estate professionals: The World Cup is putting American cities and regions in front of a global audience that has never seen them before. If you work in a market hosting matches or along a fan travel corridor, this is a moment to lean into local pride content. What makes your market worth visiting — and worth living in — is exactly what these fans are already talking about.
Meta and TikTok are going all-in on the World Cup
The platforms saw the World Cup coming and built for it. Meta rolled out a wave of features across Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Messenger and WhatsApp this week — and TikTok launched an entirely separate app.
On Instagram, a dedicated search hub surfaces curated tournament content including Reels, Stories and posts from official broadcasters and national teams. Threads is getting live score alerts, real-time match chatter, commentary from soccer legends and custom stickers. Facebook added a Football Mode — double-tap the logo at the top of your feed to activate it — plus AI-generated jersey photos and tournament themes. Messenger gets live match updates pushed directly into group chats as goals and key moments happen. WhatsApp added soccer-themed calling effects, a custom channel directory for World Cup content and Meta AI integration for real-time standings and player updates.
Instagram also expanded its AI voice effects for DMs from eight to 15, adding a World Cup-specific “Goal!” effect that triggers an animation when sent, alongside options like Pirate, Grandma and Autotune.
TikTok went a different direction entirely, launching TikTok Pro Events, a standalone app dedicated to cultural moments starting with the World Cup. Users 18 and up earn Stars by completing fan activities — searching trending hashtags, visiting the FIFA hub, sharing content — and can redeem them for merchandise, TikTok Shop coupons or charitable donations through Feeding America. The main TikTok app also has a FIFA World Cup hub powered by TikTok GamePlan, its suite of tools for sports leagues and broadcasters.
What this means for real estate professionals: Major cultural moments drive platform engagement in ways that lift all content, not just sports posts. If you have been sitting on the fence about experimenting with Threads, a live event with dedicated discovery features is a low-stakes time to try it. And if your market is hosting matches or seeing fan traffic, World Cup content is a legitimate on-ramp to local visibility right now.
Google’s home listing ads are going national
Google is bringing its HouseCanary-powered listing ad format to all 50 states this summer, expanding a pilot that launched in eight markets last year. The format surfaces property details inside mobile search results and lets buyers call, message or book a tour with a local agent directly from the ad, with listing data sourced from participating MLSs.
Only three MLSs are in so far: CRMLS, San Diego MLS and My State MLS. EXp Realty has opted its listings in, and more markets are expected to come online over the summer. Lead routing is split between the listing agent and Local Services Ads advertisers, meaning not every click on your listing necessarily comes back to you.
Analyst Mike DelPrete told Inman the expansion is significant even without displacing Zillow or other portals — Google inserting itself earlier in the buyer search process creates its own impact. WAV Group’s Victor Lund wants to see actual lead data before calling it disruptive.
What this means for real estate professionals: Find out whether your MLS is participating and whether the feed is opt-in or opt-out. The lead-routing split is worth understanding before your listings show up there.
Instagram now lets you rearrange your profile grid
Instagram has released a long-requested feature: The ability to reorder posts on your profile grid. Users can now tap and hold any post, select “Reorder grid” from the pop-up menu, and drag content into whatever order works best. Changes save immediately and are visible to all profile visitors.
The feature has been in the works since at least 2022, when Instagram first tested it before shelving the concept in favor of rebuilding the grid with larger vertical thumbnails. That update launched in January 2025. Now both changes are live together.
What this means for real estate professionals: Your profile grid is often the first thing someone sees when they land on your page, and now you control what leads. Pin your best listing video to the top corner, lead with your strongest market update or build a visual flow that tells your brand story from the first glance. It takes about 30 seconds to do and is worth revisiting any time your content focus shifts.
TL;DR (Too Long, Didn’t Read)
- World Cup fans are going viral as they fall in love with America, and the content is delighting audiences.
- Meta loaded up Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Messenger and WhatsApp with World Cup features this week.
- TikTok launched a standalone World Cup app where fans earn rewards for engaging with tournament content.
- Google’s home listing ads are going national this summer — but lead routing is split, so know where your clicks are going.
- Instagram now lets you reorder your profile grid. Tap, hold, drag.
The World Cup only comes around every four years, and this time it’s in our backyard. International fans are already out here discovering Waffle House and Portillo’s and falling in love with freestyle soda machines, and the platforms are building in real time to capture it all. That kind of organic, globally visible cultural moment is rare, and it is happening right now in markets where many of you work.
The agents who come out of this summer with something to show for it will be the ones who showed up — on their local streets, on their feeds and in the platforms where the conversation is already happening.
Each week on Trending, Inman’s Jessi Healey dives into what’s buzzing in social media and why it matters for real estate professionals. From viral trends to platform changes, she’ll break it all down so you know what’s worth your time — and what’s not.
