Instagram appears to be testing a feature that lets people tell the app which sports they follow. A screenshot shared by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi shows users picking from a list of top sports and customising updates per league, after which Instagram would surface real-time sports updates and more related content. Instagram had not commented when Social Media Today reported the test on November 12.
What is being tested
Per the screenshot, users would select the sports they care about and then choose which leagues they want updates from. Instagram would use those choices to highlight live sports updates and show more sports content in the app.
This is an unconfirmed test spotted by a reverse engineer, not a launch. There is no announced rollout date, market list or ad product attached to it, and tests like this are sometimes dropped.
Why Meta is pushing sports
Social Media Today framed the test as part of a broader sports push across Meta's apps, noting that Threads has been adding sport-related elements, including an NFL commentary team. It also pointed to Meta's own data: a September 2025 report described Meta's apps as a main online destination for sports engagement, and a 2026 Meta report said 128 million people combined follow the top 10 women athletes on Instagram.
Explicit interest signals are valuable to Meta. A user who tells Instagram they follow a particular league gives the recommendation system a cleaner signal than one inferred from likes and watch time alone.
Who it could affect
If it ships, sports-related brands, betting-adjacent advertisers where legally permitted, ticketing, merch and streaming offers would be the obvious beneficiaries of more sports content and more sports-minded sessions. Creators covering leagues and athletes would likely see more distribution.
For most media buyers this is a watch item. Meta's ad targeting is largely driven by Advantage+ audience and the delivery system rather than manual interest picks, so any benefit would show up indirectly, through richer engagement signals and more sports inventory.
What to do
Nothing to change yet. If you run sports-adjacent offers, keep Reels creative that ties into live moments (fixtures, results, transfers) ready, because a feature like this would reward timely content. Make sure any gambling or betting ads follow Meta's authorisation rules and local law in each market.
What it means for you
- Instagram is reportedly testing a sports and league interest picker with live updates.
- It is an unconfirmed test, with no rollout date or ad product announced.
- Sports-adjacent brands would gain the most from more sports content and sessions.
- Keep fixture-driven Reels creative ready, and keep betting ads within Meta's rules.
