On June 9, Darren "IShowSpeed" Watkins Jr. revealed via his social media that he will be embarking on a World Cup 2026 tour. Backed by FIFA itself, it will see him IRL stream his experiences from across the various venues of the highly anticipated football tournament.
IShowSpeed FIFA World Cup Tour dates
IShowSpeed is expected to cover the over-month-long competition in his trademark high-energy style. While no official schedule has been posted on his social media, the reveal video did confirm that he will first go live on June 12 at 8 PM EST, when the opening game of the World Cup kicks off.
Moreover, fans were quick to notice that he had an in-real-life broadcast scheduled on his YouTube channel for June 13.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino also granted IShowSpeed the first FIFA fan ID ahead of the 2026 World Cup. With his standing among football fans and within the FIFA hierarchy growing by the day, it wouldn't be surprising if he travels across the three host nations — the US, Canada and Mexico — live-vlogging his experiences and even showing parts of the games he is attending.
It is worth mentioning that Speed is no newcomer to the tour livestreaming space, as he's traveled around the world vlogging his experiences. The 21-year-old's most recent global sojourn took him to the Caribbean, where his streams attracted million of viewers and created multiple viral moments and memories.
Speed has also conducted tours of Southeast Asia, Africa and South America, with each trip putting up millions of hours watched and concurrent viewers across Twitch and YouTube. He has also previously covered a global football championship, having traveled to Europe during the UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany. These broadcasts featured fan interactions, visits to landmarks, a thrilling drive in a Formula 1 car, a meeting with Albania's Prime Minister and attending football matches.
FIFA added IShowSpeed's song to official album
Earlier this month, the YouTube star released an unofficial track dedicated to the FIFA World Cup 2026: World Cup (Champions). It quickly went viral on social media and across discussion forums, with many fans and football lovers praising its football-inspired energy and asking for it to be added to the official album.
FIFA even responded to Speed's tweet asking for it to be added to the official album, saying, "We will be in touch." A couple of days later, the world football body released its star-studded official album, and Darren's song had made the list, prompting celebrations from the streamer and his fans.
IShowSpeed receives Time Magazine honor
On June 9, Time Magazine also released its list of "The 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026." Speed was one of the first names added, with the magazine adding in its description that "It's difficult to name a streamer more influential and popular than IShowSpeed."
A slew of reasons worked in favor of his addition to the list. However, it was his collaborations with some of the biggest athletes over the years that helped the most, including his race against Noah Lyles, the face-off against Tom Brady in flag football, playing HORSE with Kevin Durant, meeting his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, and wrestling in WWE.
More about FIFA World Cup 2026
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is scheduled from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across 16 cities in three North American countries: the US, Mexico and Canada. Apart from traditional broadcasting on television, this quadrennial football tournament will be broadcast live on TikTok (parts of matches at a dedicated hub on the app) and via watch parties on the channels of select YouTube streamers.
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A few prominent football and sports influencers will also livestream some or all the matches for free. One of the biggest names to get this special privilege is the Brazilian sensation Casimiro "CazéTV" Miguel, who has received the rights to broadcast all the World Cup matches for free in Brazil.
Header image via IShowSpeedHQ on X
