For decades, the World Cup has been dominated by major broadcasters, with fans gathered around their screens to watch matches live or catch up on highlights later. In the UK, networks like BBC and ITV have shaped the narratives and defined the viewing experience for football’s most prestigious tournament.
This traditional broadcasting model continues to thrive, with millions of viewers tuning in for live match coverage, thereby ensuring that broadcasters retain significant control over rights and access. However, a new layer of football media has emerged, complicating the landscape.
While television crews travel across North America to cover the matches, content creators are interpreting the World Cup in their own unique ways online. Some host live watchalong sessions, while others provide daily commentary on platforms such as YouTube. Many focus on fan culture, telling stories from diaspora communities that extend beyond the matches themselves. For a growing segment of fans, particularly younger audiences, the World Cup is best experienced through the eyes of these creators, both before and after the games. Jide Maduako exemplifies this shift, undertaking the ambitious journey to visit every participating country to capture the essence of football culture.
“I make documentaries where I immerse myself in the culture of a football team,” he explains. “Whenever I land somewhere, I am on a mission to become a local. The World Cup has been pretty inaccessible for a lot of people. If people can’t make it to the World Cup, I want to bring the World Cup to the people.”
This approach results in a distinctly different kind of coverage from traditional television. Rather than presenting a polished final product, the content evolves in real time, influenced by audience engagement. This transformation illustrates why creators are gaining traction in the football media sphere.
This perspective is echoed by Manny Brown, a content creator with nearly 15 years of experience, who is hosting The Build Up, a YouTube series in partnership with the Lego Group. The show blends discussion, games, and audience interaction, featuring guests such as Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Harry Pinero, and Lauren Hemp. Brown sees creator-led productions as a fresh way for fans to connect with the tournament. “What I have realised with livestreaming is, it is actually better to take people along the journey. Some of my audience will say, ‘You should do this,’ ‘You should eat this.’ They give me recommendations.” he states. “People trust us as well – and not just in terms of my audience,”
Brown points out that viewers are increasingly attracted to diverse perspectives and personalities beyond just live broadcasts. “Whether I am in Brooklyn or somewhere in Africa, because I’m a black man and I look like I should be there, it allows me to get a more authentic story. Unlike media companies, who have to get authorisation to go to certain places, we don’t have walls., Traditional media can be so corporate that the process is longer. By that point the story is gone.“I see myself as an independent journalist. I’m making content that’s more mission-driven. I’ve always called it edutainment – education for entertainment.” he notes. “It is a different purpose,”
Lyés Bouzidi, who is producing shows for Sports Illustrated and a FIFA-affiliated program from Goal and Aramco, while also creating content for his own platforms, shares this sentiment. As a supporter of both Algeria and Manchester United, he navigates the realms of traditional broadcasting and independent creator culture.
“It’s to get people engaged and hyped up for the games. It has that potential to go alongside traditional media.” he admits. “People always flock to what is fresh and then they’ll stick around when it caters to what they’re looking for,”
This distinction grants him a freedom that traditional broadcasters may not always provide: editorial independence. “You have a lot of big creators that have come through and people are watching their coverage because they’re showing a different perspective that you wouldn’t otherwise have on the World Cup.” he remarks. “I’m not arrogant enough to ever think that, no matter how many viewers I conjure up, I can ever compete with historic powerhouses like the BBC and ITV,” He acknowledges the potential downsides. “The day I start thinking that is the day someone needs to slap me on the back of the head. I view them as the standard. But they exist in their own space and I exist in my own.”
This independence enhances the reliance audiences place on creators. “That is one advantage of having your own platform. I have complete freedom to talk about anything.” Bouzidi observes. “If we translate that to me being critical of Fifa or critical of the US not allowing people to enter the country and their treatment of the Iranian team … I am fully aware that how opinionated I am blocks blessings in terms of me wanting to go to games via Fifa or me working with Fifa in any capacity. But that is a con to the many pros I have.”
“The amount of options that someone has after a game to go and hear someone’s thoughts is almost infinite,”
Brown also highlights a broader change in how fans engage with football. “That’s not to say that if you’re watching a content creator rather than the post-match on BBC or ITV, the content creator is coming with better information. But maybe viewers want a fan’s point of view rather than an ex-player speaking about something from a lens that they just never could understand. “I was watching Algeria on ITV. And with all due respect to the broadcasters and commentators – they did the best job they could – I know, deep down, none of those guys know more about Algeria than I do. There will always be a difference between someone who breathes the team and someone who is just getting to grips with them the night before.” he explains. “Younger fans consume football in bursts,”
“People are consuming football through social media or through the eyes of a content creator, whether that’s a watchalong or highlights, rather than just sitting watching a 90-minute football game. “If we look at mainstream media, they’re trying to follow that mould. They’re getting characters that you might not see in traditional media. Creators are massively part of the tournament and it’s only a matter of time before bodies like Fifa implement more. Five or six years ago creators still weren’t being taken seriously. The way they are covering this World Cup is something we’ve never seen before.”
