EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - JULY 5: IShowSpeed aka Darren Jason Watkins Jr. comments the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 16 football match between Brazil and Norway at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 5, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
FIFA and TikTok gave 30 creators behind-the-scenes access to this World Cup, from bus arrivals to training sessions to press conferences. It's the first time FIFA has named a Preferred Platform partner and creators are now part of that deal instead of commenting on it from outside.
It’s a fascinating development which explains a lot about how fans have been consuming this years World Cup.
Twitch executives, brand strategists and a fresh Gen Z survey are telling the same story from different angles. Creators are the infrastructure this tournament runs on: the livestreams, the brand campaigns, the pop-ups, even the avatars fans wear while they watch.
Twitch became a digital stadium
