Top 5 Branded Videos of the Week: A clean World Cup sweep

Welcome to our rundown of the most-watched branded YouTube videos of the week.

We’re publishing this snippet of a larger Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report in order to analyze sponsorship trends in the creator economy. Any video launched in tandem with an official brand partner is eligible for the ranking.

And – as the name up above would imply – all the data comes from Gospel Stats. If you’re interested in learning more about Gospel – and which brands are sponsoring what creators on YouTube – click here. You can also download our YouTube 2025 Sponsorship Landscape Report here.

It’s a straight flush of FIFA-sponsored videos in this week’s Gospel Stats Brand Report.

We’ve seen FIFA- and YouTube-sponsored content crop up over the last few weeks, but for this week, every single video in the top 5–and 8 videos out of the top 10–are paid promotion for the World Cup. The 2026 tournament is the most digitally involved Cup yet, and YouTube’s deal with FIFA to tap creators for ad content has paid off in hundreds of millions of views.

Check ’em all out below:

#1 Can I Find RONALDO?? #fifaworldcup #ad
Channel: Zhong
Brand: FIFA
Views: 116,683,878

Comedy/challenge YouTuber Zhong has spent the past few months milking KPop Demon Hunters‘ success with a series of videos that manage to give NSFW vibes while still being fully monetizable. But that content was apparently a draw for FIFA, which sponsored him for five videos this week–three of which made it into the top 5 most-watched.

In this first 42-second video, Zhong wanders a World Cup stadium looking for star Portuguese player (and MrBeast-collabing YouTuber) Christiano Ronaldo. Like most of his content, this video starts with eardrum-bursting sound effects and Zhong yelling the plot: CAN HE FIND RONALDO???

We’ll maintain the suspense by not spoilering. Instead, we’ll focus on the fact that this video got nearly 120 million views–the kind of numbers we usually only see from MrBeast.

#2 When you have longer luscious hair than Haaland #ad #fifaworldcup
Channel: Howieazy
Brand: FIFA
Views: 109,456,716

This week’s #2 video also topped 100 million views–and it’s got Vine vibes.

Howieazy‘s clip is only 9 seconds long, but taps Norwegian player Erling Haaland‘s viral popularity for a quick comedy bit involving a very tragic blond wig. And, yep, it’s sponsored by FIFA, which is likely how Howieazy got the football equivalent of red carpet-side access to film arm’s reach footage of Haaland for his  punchline.

#3 Will My Phone Get Stolen At The World Cup?? #fifaworldcup #ad
Channel: Zhong
Brand: FIFA
Views: 106,963,776

Zhong is back in spot #3 (and #4) with another clickbait plot. If he leaves a super fancy phone unattended at the World Cup, will someone snatch it? This video is even shorter than his #1 clip, clocking in at just 29 seconds. But it too has racked up over 100 million views, so there are people tuning in here.

For Zhong, though, the views aren’t enough…

#4 I Left A Secret Note For RONALDO!? #fifaworldcup #ad
Channel: Zhong
Brand: FIFA and YouTube
Views: 90,565,997

…because all of his World Cup content is about pushing more people to subscribe. In his #1 and #3 videos, he asks people to like his clip if they think Messi is soccer’s GOAT, and to subscribe if they think that designation goes to Ronaldo.

In this #4 clip, he’s going beyond asking YouTube viewers to hit subscribe. He wants Ronaldo himself to become a follower. This 37-second clip chronicles his attempts to leave notes for Ronaldo around a World Cup stadium, all of which urge him to subscribe. Will he? Who could say…

BONUS #5 i couldnt see ?? #ad #FIFAWorldCup
Channel: Jenny Hoyos
Brand: FIFA and YouTube
Views: 48,253,216

Normally we pick our bonus video from further down the list, but for this week’s FIFA fest, we went with #5 from Jenny Hoyos.

This Short is just five seconds long–yes, only five–and contains zero footage of actual World Cup content. Instead it’s focused on Hoyos, who’s standing pitchside thanks to special access from FIFA and YouTube, as she asks whether someone just scored a goal. Turns out she forgot to bring her glasses to the best seat in the house, and could barely see the match. What luck.

Her tale of tragedy brought in almost 50 million views, rounding out the top 5 and crowning this week as the highest viewcount Brand Report to date.

…and there’s a lot more data where that came from. If you like our Weekly Top 5, you’ll love everything else Gospel has to offer. Start with our newly released YouTube 2025 Sponsorship Landscape Report, wfrom hich you can download right here.