FIFA World Cup 2026: Selected TikTokers allowed to stream parts of matches

A partnership between the world football governing body FIFA and TikTok will allow selected influencers to stream parts of the 2026 World Cup matches.

(Image: FIFA)

Jan 9, 2026 at 10:15 am CET

2 min. read

By

Daniel Herbig

The world football governing body FIFA has chosen the social media platform TikTok as an official partner for the 2026 World Cup. Selected TikTok influencers will thus receive preferential access to World Cup matches to entertain their audience.

According to a FIFA announcement, this includes access to press conferences and the opportunity to live stream parts of the football matches. The influencers selected by TikTok will also be allowed to watch and record team training sessions. TikTok will select the authorized influencers from around the world as part of a creator program.

“New Way to Market Football”

“This is an innovative and creative collaboration that will connect even more fans around the world with the FIFA World Cup in an unprecedented way, giving them behind-the-scenes insights and bringing them closer to the action than ever before,” commented FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström on the partnership with the social media service originating from China.

“As football grows, evolves, and unites more and more people, so should the way it is shared and marketed.” FIFA already collaborated with TikTok for the 2023 Women's World Cup.

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TikTok Signs Trump Deal

In December, TikTok's parent company Bytedance and the US government reached an agreement in the dispute over the US future of the social media service: TikTok's US subsidiary is selling the majority of its shares to investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake, and the UAE-based company MGX. This allows TikTok to avoid a ban in the US, which both the Biden and Trump administrations had threatened.

The previous Biden administration had already feared a national security threat from the app if China gained access to TikTok's user data and profiles. The app has over 170 million users in the US.

The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, in Canada, Mexico, and the USA. MagentaTV has secured the broadcasting rights in Germany, where all 104 games will be shown live. ARD and ZDF will broadcast 60 games live, including the German national team's matches and the final.