FIFA announced an agreement that it described as “historic” to make YouTube the “preferred platform” for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held between June 11 and July 19 in the US, Mexico and Canada, with the aim of expanding the global reach of the tournament.
The alliance will allow audiovisual rights holders to use their official YouTube channels to offer content such as extended summaries, unpublished images, short videos and on-demand material, in order to increase interaction with fans around the world, FIFA explained in a statement.
As the main novelty, for the first time in the history of the World Cup, operators will be able to broadcast the first ten minutes of each match live through YouTube, in addition to fully broadcasting a selection of matches in certain regions, which will facilitate access to new audiences, according to the organization.
The agreement also includes the publication of premium content on the official FIFA channel, as well as the dissemination of material from its digital archive, including full historical matches and iconic moments, to generate excitement before the start of the tournament.
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström highlighted that the collaboration will allow us to “reach fans around the world like never before” and reinforce the presence of the tournament that will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States “in the changing media landscape.”
For his part, YouTube’s global vice president of Media and Sports, Justin Connolly, stressed that the platform seeks to offer a “global, interactive and fan-adapted” sports experience, and assured that this alliance will help attract a new generation of followers.
The collaboration will also include the participation of content creators from around the world, “who will have unprecedented access to the tournament to generate exclusive content, from human stories to tactical analysis, helping to offer new perspectives of the competition.”
Last January, FIFA already announced an agreement with TikTok to make it the preferred platform for the 2026 World Cup and for audiovisual rights holders to be able to broadcast live moments of matches on that social network, publish personalized videos and access special content produced by FIFA.
