​FIFA and TikTok gave 30 creators behind-the-scenes access to this World Cup, from bus arrivals to training sessions to press conferences. It’s the first time FIFA has named a Preferred Platform partner and creators are now part of that deal instead of commenting on it from outside.It’s a fascinating development which explains a lot about how fans have been consuming this years World Cup.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTwitch executives, brand strategists and a fresh Gen Z survey are telling the same story from different angles. Creators are the infrastructure this tournament runs on: the livestreams, the brand campaigns, the pop-ups, even the avatars fans wear while they watch.Twitch became a digital stadiumTwitch is one of the clearest examples. IShowSpeed, Jasontheween and Marlon turned IRL livestreams into one of the tournament’s most engaging formats, says Pontus Eskilsson, Twitch’s VP of Global Partnerships.”By attending matches and streaming their live reactions, they’re giving audiences a front-row seat to the World Cup experience, blending behind-the-scenes access with authentic commentary and real-time fan emotion,” Eskilsson told me.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIShowSpeed took that further. “IShowSpeed launched a large-scale, multi-country tour tied to the World Cup spanning the Caribbean and a broader U.S. tour across 16 host cities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, featuring 104 matches and surprise appearances from professional football players,” Eskilsson said. Other streamers, like sakurashymko and Jynxzi, broadcast the in-between moments: packing, traveling, watch parties.DoorDash sponsored Men in Blazers’ Twitch coverage of matches in Latin America. Each week, chat voted on which cuisine the hosts would eat during their “Match Predictions” segment, based on who they thought would win. A broadcast turned into a running game.That same appetite for real-time prediction is fueling a rise in prediction market platforms, where fans turn a hunch into an ongoing public conversation instead of a bet placed and forgotten.The ecosystem around those platforms is expanding as well. Comparison sites like Covers and Sportsbook Review increasingly help users navigate competing prediction services, while opening additional monetization opportunities through referrals, sponsorships and affiliate partnerships.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”We’re seeing Twitch emerge as a ‘digital stadium’ for a younger generation of fans, where games are no longer just watched, they’re shared, discussed, and reinterpreted in real time, streamers are paving the way in the rise of creator-led sports broadcasting by providing commentary and engaging with their audiences in a way that’s unique to their community,” Eskilsson said. “The game is the same game. What’s different is the experience around it: You’re watching alongside a community, reacting to the action as it happens, seeing clips, commentary, and conversation unfold in real time.”F