For the next month, Snapchat will attempt to engage sports and soccer fans with content and features dedicated to the 2026 World Cup, planning real-time on-the-ground creator coverage, player
partnerships, themed Lenses, and in-person events at stadiums across the United States.
According to Snapchat’s announcement, the platform’s user base is eager for sports content, with 215
million users watching sports content every month on the platform.
In addition, 85% of Snap’s 483 million daily users plan to watch or keep up with this year’s World Cup, and 62%
of those users typically watch or follow content from players, teams, or creators on Snapchat during the tournament.
Snap has invited Alix Earle — a Gen Z media personality who became famous
for her “Get Ready With Me” TikTok videos in 2020 — to deliver behind-the-scenes coverage from tournament games to her 947 thousand Snap followers.
Earle is responsible for
capturing “the energy surrounding the matches,” including pre- and post-game coverage, fan celebrations, and gameplay.
advertisement
advertisement
“I’ll be sharing everything around game
day–getting ready, seeing the fans, being in the crowd, and all the moments you don’t always see on TV,” Earle says. “I want my Snapchat community to feel like they are right
there with me for all of it.”
Snap has also tapped NBA player Jared McCain to join Earle in live coverage of the tournament.
In line with competing platforms like TikTok, which
have hired a host of popular creators to cover the World Cup, Snapchat has
decided to activate a scaled creator program that will feature over 50 creators dedicated to sharing World Cup content across Stories and Spotlight formats.
The social media company has also
forged new content-sharing partnerships with players from competing teams across the globe, including Portugal’s João Félix, the U.S.’s Sergiño Dest, Canada’s Dayne St.
Clair and Alphonso Davies, Norway’s Erling Haaland, Senegal’s Sadio Mane, Austria’s David Alaba, the Netherlands’ Cody Gakpo, and more.
Through a series of new team-inspired
Lenses, Bitmojis, and creative tools, Snapchat is launching over 30 World Cup experiences designed to celebrate national teams and their fanbases.
Along with 20 new interactive Lenses tied to
competing teams, Snap will be dropping exclusive World Cup merch collections for users’ Bitmoji avatars in partnership with U.S. Soccer, Canada Soccer, The Football Association, the France National
Football Team, Adidas, and Nike.
Finally, Snapchat will bring its World Cup coverage beyond the app, with real-world activations in Los Angeles and New York City. Throughout the tournament,
Snapchat will take over the U.S. Soccer House in L.A., featuring immersive experiences for fans, creators, and platform partners.<
Later in the summer, the company will also activate
creator-led Cam and AR experiences at Rockefeller Center, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center via a partnership with the NYNJ World Cup 2026 Host Committee.
