Can creators like iShowSpeed help YouTube win World Cup broadcast rights?

The bidding war for World Cup broadcast rights is in full swing, and YouTube is in the mix. As the platform’s creator community plays a pivotal role on soccer’s biggest stage, its dealmakers are angling to air the 2030 and 2034 editions of the FIFA tournament.

According to CNBC, the suitors for the World Cup broadcast rights include Netflix, Disney, and YouTube, with Amazon and Apple rumored to be considering bids as well. FOX paid $485 million for the rights to this year’s Cup, but the next two editions of the tourney will likely fetch a higher price tag, because FIFA plans to bundle the English- and Spanish-language rights in the U.S.

YouTube is eager to land high-profile live sports packages it can pair with related creator content. Some recent negotiations, however, have revealed roadblocks that are impeding that strategy. YouTube was on track to land a multi-game deal for the upcoming NFL season, but that plan fizzled after the league gave a coveted game in Australia to Netflix.

When it comes to soccer, however, YouTube possesses leverage that could help it negotiate the World Cup deal it wants. It’s not just that soccer is huge on YouTube — though it is — but also that soccer-loving creators have already cultivated credibility with global audiences.

For example, some NFL viewers complained about the creators

who showed up on screen during YouTube’s football broadcast. But during the World Cup, soccer fans have embraced creator-led streams. Brazil’s CazéTV, who got World Cup distribution rights in his home country, currently holds the top 15 spots on the list of the most-watched YouTube streams of all time. Belgium’s Celine Dept has also cultivated an international fanbase thanks to her positive personality, her challenge videos, and her fondness for Cristiano Ronaldo.

When discussing the global appeal and near-universal likeability of YouTube’s soccer creators, iShowSpeed is the epitome. His world tours have been blockbuster affairs, and soccer is often at the center of them. To emphasize how ubiquitous Speed is, YouTube has made him the poster child for the YouTube FIFA Creator Cup, an upcoming soccer competition featuring some of the internet’s biggest names. A successful Creator Cup would show FIFA how much it could gain should it sell the U.S. World Cup broadcast rights to YouTube.

YouTube’s soccer community is so big that the platform could revolutionize World Cup broadcasts, with local commentators for each country’s matches. Even if another media company wins the current bidding war, YouTube will still win. The 2026 World Cup has shown us that creators are at the forefront of soccer discourse, and they’ll continue to share their voices in 2030 and beyond.