The 2026 World Cup belonged to the creator economy. But not in the way you might think.
The stars of the tournament on social media weren’t the big-name creators who were invited to attend the matches. Instead, they were athletes, fans and even brands, who behaved like creators online.
That could make the World Cup a test case for other sports bodies, leagues and teams in terms of how they grant access to creators—and how they continue to build their broader creator strategies.
Take Norwegian striker Erling Haaland. He was one of the breakout stars from the World Cup, gaining more than 30 million Instagram followers during the tournament. Fans were drawn to everything from his soccer skills and his cheeky sense of humor to his distinct look and shockingly large Birkin collection. Haaland got in on the fun by commenting on posts.
Meanwhile, content from creators who were at the games was far less inspiring. Most just posted videos panning the stadium or photos showing off their seats. Even MrBeast was posting like a lifestyle influencer! There were a few exceptions, including a fun video from Corporate Bro doing a bit about being a sales guy at a game, in partnership with Lenovo.
Still, these creators may not be entirely to blame. We’ve heard that FIFA is one of the most restrictive sports bodies in terms of both access and what partners can and cannot post. That likely included restrictions on posting match footage and potentially some behind-the-scenes content, which could have contributed to creator content falling flat.
On the flip side, fans and at-home viewers can post whatever they like. And many did.
Videos of foreign soccer fans took off on social media for their impressions of the US, which co-hosted the tournament with Canada and Mexico. That ranged from the general friendliness of Americans to their newfound love for Texas BBQ or Ranch dressing. The latter even prompted a tongue-in-cheek advisory from the TSA about flying home with full-sized bottles.
Brands joined in on the fun as well. Norwegian Air challenged British Airways to swap Instagram logos if Norway beat England (and made good on the deal after Norway lost).
Another reason could be FIFA’s approach. Unlike the NFL or NBCUniversal with the Olympics, which run wide-scale, coordinated creator programs, FIFA’s efforts at the World Cup felt more limited and fragmented. FIFA partnered with both TikTok and YouTube, but there didn’t seem to be much cohesive messaging or connection between its creator efforts.
There were a few exceptions, like livestreamer iShowSpeed, who had an official partnership with FIFA. As part of the deal, he was able to livestream matches with his commentary alongside Fox Sports and YouTube. Brazilian livestreamer Casimiro Miguel, better known as CazéTV, also scored broadcast rights for all 104 games in Brazil.
The lack of cohesive strategy may be partly because FIFA doesn’t need creators to promote the World Cup or expand soccer’s audience the same way the NFL does for football. An estimated 1.8 billion people, or roughly one-fifth of the global population, watched the final game on Sunday, according to the New York Times.
Even so, FIFA can’t ignore that more of the conversation around the game is now happening on social media.
There are also likely plenty of people who didn’t tune in on TV, but watched content on social platforms: TikTok called the 2026 World Cup its “biggest content moment” to date, and the official @fifaworldcup account alone generated more than 24 billion views. Despite soccer’s massive scale, this suggests there’s still more audience, including more casual fans to reach. (One in five people isn’t everyone, after all!)
Looking ahead, we’re most curious about what this means for creator efforts at sports leagues and teams going forward. Athletes have been breaking through as creators for a while now, and as we’ve previously argued, bigger isn’t always better when it comes to creator programs.
But if content from an athlete, brand or fan can outperform what paid creators are doing in the stands, leagues may start shifting some of their strategies. This could include focusing more on livestreaming or providing creators with more access at events to create more compelling content.
Either way, this World Cup certainly turned us into soccer fans for the first time. We’re already counting down to 2030!
Tune into Thursday’s episode of Scalable, where we break this down further and share our winners and losers of the tournament.
In the meantime, check out our recent interview with Geo Karapetyan, SVP of Olympics at NBCUniversal, where he shares more about its creator strategy—and what to expect from the Summer Games 2028.
Today in TikTok
• TikTok is testing a new opt-in tool called Likeness Detection with some US creators. The tool aims to flag AI-generated content that may use creators’ likeness without their permission. TikTok the latest social app to roll out this type of feature.
• Professional boxer Amanda Serrano will participate in the first-ever championship boxing event on TikTok Live in August. The announcement comes as boxing has become more popular on social media and among creators, while streamers and platforms like YouTube are competing to land the rights to live sports content.
• 🏀TikTok announced a global content partnership with the NBA and WNBA. The deal includes giving some TikTok creators access to events, such as the WNBA All Star Weekend.
• TikTok Shop is rolling out a new program in the US that will allow it to oversee parts of a seller’s business, including marketing, running automated ads, hiring creators and optimizing product listings, Business Insider reported. To be part of the program, sellers will pay a $10,000 flat fee plus a 10% to 20% commission per sale.
It’s the latest move by TikTok to bring more of its Shop operations in-house as it looks to capture more ecommerce sales: TikTok Shop’s US sales will hit $23.4 billion in 2026, making it bigger than Target and Costco, according to EMARKETER.
• The US Justice Department said it’s no longer illegal to download TikTok on government devices. The decision comes after TikTok spun off its US operations into a new joint venture earlier this year. However, individual federal agencies can still decide to independently ban the TikTok app on government devices, for example, if they want to promote “employee productivity.” No scrolling on the clock!
The Round Up
X released a new version of its Android app, which it says was built from “the ground up” and has improved loading, scrolling, notifications and other features.
Instagram announced a new feature called Replace Audio, which allows users to change the music on published feed posts and carousels without having to delete and re-upload them. That way, they don’t lose existing likes, comments and reach.
Influencer Hero, an influencer marketing platform focused on direct-to-consumer and e-commerce brands, acquired Afluencer, a creator marketplace with more than 17,000 registered members and 3,500 brands. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Regulatory Woes: UK Edition
• The UK will encourage 16 to 17-year-olds to honor a midnight to 6 am curfew on social media, the latest effort by the government to tackle youth safety and well-being online. But the curfew, which is planned for next spring, will not be mandatory, which makes its effectiveness questionable. Teens, unsurprisingly, had some opinions about the news. One told the BBC: “It’s not obligatory, so what’s the point?’”
• Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator, launched an investigation into the effectiveness of age verification checks on TikTok. “We’re confident that we meet our Online Safety Act obligations and will work with Ofcom to demonstrate it,” a TikTok spokesperson told the BBC.
These moves come a month after the UK government announced it plans to ban teens under 16 from social media platforms following other countries. Read more about Australia’s landmark teen ban and the ramifications for creators here.
Creator Moves
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were arrested in Miami on their way to a bare-knuckle boxing event over the weekend. The two influencers appeared in court on Monday and said they would fight an extradition request from the UK on sex crime charges, including rape and sex trafficking, according to CNN.
Tom Brady slapped YouTuber-turned-boxer Logan Paul on stage at “Fanatics Fest,” a sports and fandom event, on Friday. Neither has publicly said whether the confrontation was staged. Yahoo Sports has a timeline of the apparent feud between the two, which some have speculated is just a lead up to a potential wrestling storyline with the WWE.
💍 MrBeast is married to Thea Booysen. The two shared their wedding photos on social media on Tuesday. The caption? “I found MrsBeast.”
Political Download
The first-ever Creator Advocacy Day brought more than 30 creators to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress. The day also included meetings with YouTube, TikTok and the National Association of Broadcasters. It was organized by Shira Lazar and her organization Creators 4 Mental Health.
Brand Buzz
Yahoo partnered with Marky’s Caviar on a giveaway of co-branded caviar tins with custom mother-of-pearl spoons, which sold out in minutes. The tins were also sent to some creators, encouraging them to “bump caviar instead of bumping emails.”
