FIFA and TikTok sign record deal to transform how fans watch World Cup 2026

World football governing body FIFA has announced a groundbreaking partnership with TikTok that will make the social media platform the tournament's first-ever ‘Preferred Platform’ for the 2026 World Cup, marking a major shift in how the world's biggest sporting event will be delivered to fans.

The agreement, running through the end of 2026, grants TikTok unprecedented access to World Cup content and represents FIFA's most significant embrace yet of social media as a primary distribution channel for tournament coverage.

Under the deal, TikTok will offer enhanced World Cup coverage including increased original content and become the primary destination for fans and creators throughout the tournament.

Official FIFA broadcast partners will gain the ability to live-stream portions of matches on TikTok, post curated clips, and access special FIFA-produced content designed for the platform. Broadcasters will also be able to monetise their World Cup coverage through TikTok's premium advertising solutions.

"FIFA's goal is to share the exhilaration of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with as many fans as possible, and we can't think of a better way to further that mission during the biggest event in sports history than to have TikTok as the tournament's first Preferred Platform," said FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström.

The partnership introduces a robust creator programme that will provide select global TikTok creators with behind-the-scenes access to press conferences, training sessions, and exclusive moments. 

A wider group of creators will also receive opportunities to use and co-create content with FIFA archival footage.

TikTok will launch an immersive FIFA World Cup 2026 hub powered by TikTok GamePlan, featuring match information, ticket details, and interactive features including custom stickers, filters and gamification elements.

The deal builds on FIFA and TikTok's collaboration during the 2023 Women's World Cup, which generated tens of billions of views.

"Football has experienced explosive global growth on TikTok over the past few years," said James Stafford, TikTok's Global Head of Content. "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."

The partnership also includes anti-piracy policies to protect FIFA's intellectual property throughout the tournament.

The 2026 World Cup, which expands to 48 teams and will be hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, kicks off in June 2026. Nigeria's Super Eagles will miss the global showpiece, with Nigeria losing billions in revenue.