Watch World Cup matches on TikTok? FIFA announces game-changing social media deal
Geneva: FIFA has designated TikTok as its inaugural “preferred platform” for social media video content ahead of the 2026 World Cup, marking a major shift in how the soccer body engages with digital fans.
The partnership will grant creators unprecedented access to the 48-nation tournament, which is scheduled to take place across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
Under the agreement, official broadcast rights holders will be permitted to livestream segments of the 104 matches via a dedicated World Cup hub on the TikTok app, which currently counts more than 170 million users in the U.S.
“Additionally, a wide group of creators will receive the opportunity to use and co-create FIFA archival footage,” the organisation said in its announcement on Thursday.
FIFA did not disclose the financial terms of the deal or provide information regarding the bidding process. The move follows a more limited arrangement with YouTube during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
While FIFA typically enforces strict protections for its commercial partners' exclusive rights, the specific limits on what can be streamed live this summer remain unclear. TikTok previously collaborated with MLS and Apple TV to offer "Player Spotlight" streams, including a camera exclusively dedicated to following Lionel Messi during Inter Miami matches.
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström promised the collaboration would take supporters “behind the curtain and closer to the action than ever before.”
The in-app hub will also feature interactive "participation incentives," such as custom digital stickers, filters, and gamification elements. James Stafford, TikTok’s global head of content, noted that the platform’s "GamePlan" strategy aims to convert digital engagement into viewership.
“TikTok GamePlan turns fandom into measurable business results for our sports partners, with fans being 42% more likely to tune in to live matches after watching sports content on TikTok,” Stafford said.
The deal comes as TikTok’s future in its largest market appears to be stabilising. Despite long-standing U.S. national security concerns and the threat of a ban, parent company ByteDance reached an agreement in December to form a U.S. joint venture with Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX. That transaction is expected to be finalised later this month.
With inputs from AP