Beyond the drama and debate surrounding this year's Copa América, we at the Round have seen a different kind of news emerge: How the world's oldest international soccer event is bringing niche Latin American genres to new audiences in North America.
Soccer is becoming increasingly entrenched in American culture, and its rise in popularity is reflected in the number of spectators who attended this year's tournament. The Hollywood Reporter, both Fox and Univision recorded viewership records for the Euro 2024 and Copa America finals. The Spain-England match drew a total of 9.43 million viewers on Sunday afternoon, and in primetime, Argentina's win over Colombia averaged 11.63 million viewers across the two networks. Fox scored more than 6 million viewers for both games, which, outside of the World Cup, became the network's most watched soccer telecasts ever.
Copa America's record ratings were reflected on TikTok, where the hashtag #CopaAmerica2024 garnered 71.5 million views. The US accounted for 13% of TikTok content creation around the event, second only to Mexico at 15%, according to data compiled by Round Technology, which can hack social media platforms to provide proprietary data. While the conversation on social platforms was initially driven by what was happening on the pitch, we later saw the public engage more than ever with Latin music, showing how central music has become to the tournament.
This year, Shakira's halftime performance at the Copa America final infused Latin culture into the event despite initial reservations from Colombia national team coach Néstor Lorenzo about extending the halftime break for the show (soccer tournaments usually they don't have halftime shows, and if they do, they don't last longer than 15 minutes). Meanwhile, Colombia's music elite stepped up to decide the tournament, with Feid, Ryan Castro, Karol G, Maluma, Blessd, Camilo, Fonseca and Juanes all in attendance. Impressively, these artists collectively account for more than a quarter of a billion monthly listeners on Spotify.
On TikTok, three tracks stood out as firm favorites for the platform's users: Shakira's 'Punteria' (the official song of TelevisaUnivision's coverage of the tournament); Ryan Castro's reggaeton track “El Ritmo Que Nos Une” (the official song of the Colombian group). and MC Danone's Brazilian funk tune 'Vem Quebrando'. Together, these tracks have appeared on nearly 550,000 TikTok creations since the tournament began on June 21. In comparison, across the pond in Europe, the official Euro song “FIRE” by Meduza, OneRepublic and Leony sparked just 70,000 creations, while England's unofficial anthem “Three Lions (It's Coming Home)” garnered 64,000 creations during the duration of the tournament.
Copa America's phenomenal success on TikTok, combined with its deepening connection to music, has changed the game for artists, bringing attention to emerging genres. Take, for example, “Vem Quebrando,” a Brazilian funk song popularized by Colombian midfielder Richard Ríos, who performs a TikTok dance related to the track whenever he scores.
Originally recorded by MC Danone, “Vem Quebrando” has seen a significant rise in popularity, garnering more than 85 million streams and highlighting the potential for niche genres to find a wider audience. With 1.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, MC Danone shows how local Latin American sounds are channeled to American audiences through soccer, and ultimately how TikTok has the potential to dictate the impact of an event.
Copa America 2024 showed that soccer is more than a game, bringing the sport further into North American homes and introducing a rich tapestry of Latin American music to a new audience.
As the dust settles on Copa America 2024, attention turns to the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico. With soccer's popularity expected to continue to grow in the United States, the tournament offers a huge opportunity for local sounds from Latin America to reach American audiences. TikTok and other UGC platforms will undoubtedly be key accelerators for these hyperlocal sounds, offering a path for a new wave of genres to find success in the North American market.
Ray Uscata is managing director of Round, North and South America. Round is a technology-powered digital company that uses content, creators and communities to put the world's leading brands and artists at the center of culture.
