Football (Not Soccer) Girlies To Know & Love This World Cup

Football (Not Soccer) Girlies To Know & Love This World Cup

by: Averie J

Every 4 years, the whole world stops what it's doing to scream, “GOALLL!” at their TV screen, neighbours, family, and friends. Heck, even at their dog. This year, tens of millions of fans from across the world gather to watch the 23rd FIFA World Cup, the most watched sporting event in town. And in my opinion, there's no better sport to watch and no better time to watch it than this one

However, like so many sports out there, I've noticed that there aren't as many women on the forefront of it, not for a lack of there being any women interested but for a lack of the spotlight being shared. Recently, social media has put me on the receiving end of a few little men with big mouths who seem to have a problem with their girlfriends screaming for their favourite players and teams. Now I don't know if this comes from a place of intimidation or boys just being boys, but there are so many women online who have just as much love and just as much knowledge on this game as anyone else out there. 

 So if you are like me and you feel as if you can't enjoy the game without knowing what's going on, you are a bit intimidated or afraid of asking for more details, or you just want to hear a girl talk about football as much as any of the boys do, then you are in the right place. As a football fan who loves commentators who bring the world together, here's a list of five football-loving female creators for you to know if you want to get into football and learn more about the games that are flooding stadiums.

1. Caroline Salame

Known best by the username @carolineszwed, Caroline describes herself as a professional football yapper. The Canadian-born sports reporter, mainly known for her work on TikTok, where she has amassed more than 670,000 followers, is one of the shining stars in the sky of sports journalism. Unlike most football broadcasters out there, Caroline rose to her public greatness as a result of taking her passion for football and producing a series of highly engaging, concise revision and analysis videos that positively attracted younger audiences to her account.

If you're looking for someone who can confidently embody the force that girl power has on the field, then Salame is your girl. Before her days consisted of reporting for FIFA's World Cup, Caroline played as a midfielder almost all her youth, even representing Canada at the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Despite being twice nominated for Canadian youth player honours and even being considered one of the most promising young female players at the time, the now 34-year-old’s football career was ended prematurely after a serious knee injury. And while we can only imagine the type of upset this might bring most of us, Caroline didn't allow this injury to stop her love for the game. With her degree in journalism, she took her football background and created a massive platform for girls and boys to watch her deliver the latest on all things football-related.

2. Zareena Abader

Zareena is a South African TikToker who many know best as “RedDevilGal” online. Known best for her reactions and Premier League opinions, she's the type of football lover who combines get-ready-with-me videos with match previews and predictions. Her account is a great way to be introduced to the fan culture, discussions, and some of the most popular football teams in the world with players whose names are almost as big as their fandoms.

Combining her audiences across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, Zareena has an estimated 300k followers who enjoy her fangirl commentaries, short vlogs, engaging rants, and Manchester United-obsessed spirit. And as the World Cup reaches the finals, she continues to post regular content for her lovely followers and evident haters alike. While not much is known about her, her viewers enjoy the authenticity and personality-first presentation and lifestyle that she brings to the sports community. With her genuine energy and passion, she attracts followers from all over and is known to attract a large number of female football fans who are sometimes just looking for a girl who feels like a big sister who can cuss at the TV while she does her lashes

3. Lia Binkin

Continuing with our list of opinionated women not afraid to let you know what they're thinking about each match that plays, Lia Binkin is a football content creator who has built a substantial audience thanks to her love of the game. Best known for her content, which includes sports analysis and commentary of the UEFA Champions League, La Liga, and, now, the World Cup, Lia is a Barcelona-loving girl who doesn't hesitate to let you know exactly what's on her mind. Like the girl in the friend group who keeps everyone up-to-date on what's going on, Lia creates content that gives you details about everything from team transfer rumours and rankings to match reactions and predictions.

With just over 260,000 followers on TikTok, Binkin is a passionate fan through and through. Outside of her TikTok sports broadcasting space, she shows bits of her life that allow her followers to get a peek at her life away from the field. On Instagram, many can see this 22-year-old accomplish more than just social media success, like completing her master's degree or attending matches to cheer for Argentina.

What many ladies will love about Lia is that, like many of them on this list, she doesn't back down from a passive-aggressive comment section.

4. Rachel DeMita

As one of the most popular female sports commentators on TikTok, Rachel is a woman who definitely knows what she's talking about. Known mainly for her basketball commentary, which can be found all over her social media, particularly Instagram, DeMita, like many fans, has become especially hooked on the World Cup. Now, on TikTok, where she boasts just over 926k followers, new viewers can find dozens of videos showcasing her experience in the stands, her personal commentary, and her engaging sports coverage.

As a former professional athlete yourself, the now 36-year-old social media personality was once an NCAA Division I basketball player and a top girls’ basketball player for her home state of Ohio. She, like another form of athlete on this list, studied journalism and performing arts, then took her credibility and experience into the sports broadcasting space. And while she started her social media journey focusing on beauty, fashion and lifestyle, she recognised the growing interest in basketball culture and sports media made even more accessible.

And with years of sports commentary under her belt, Rachel has expanded her skills to cover the most popular sport in the world. And with the 2026 World Cup being hosted mostly by the United States, she represents and reaches a demographic of young women who want to be just as present in the stands as any man out there.

5. Leah Cammarano

Now, one of the scariest parts of exploring something new can be the logistics. But with Leah, the viewers get an engaging and concise commentary on all the numbers and data a football match can carry. With more than 132,000 followers on TikTok, Cammarano regularly breaks down and explains her excitement for the game using data, statistics, and tactical analysis. Even though she's still currently studying at the University of Pittsburgh, Leah is up-to-date on all sporty girl math, as she has shown immense critical analysis and love for a variety of sports, like basketball, hockey and flag football.

But with the arrival of the World Cup, Cammarano has been busy crunching out numbers, examining plays, and making what could easily be a 1000-word essay on major sporting matchups into short and comprehensible TikToks. If you're a girl who wants to understand the importance of terms and factors like the momentum of a match, possession of the ball, or the beauty of a strong defence.

Leah’s videos are a show of passion from a logical standpoint. With her kind of content, objectivity is key, and beyond personal opinions or comments, she delivers the facts. Rather than rooting for a team, having a favourite player on the field or expressing her view on referee decisions, Cammarano’s voice confidently goes into topics such as passing networks, statistical trends, probability models, and more with visualised assistance to better articulate her numbers.