How content creators are bringing fans an added dimension to this World Cup

F or decades, the World Cup belonged to broadcasters. Fans gathered around the television, watched the game live or caught the highlights later that evening. In the UK, BBC and ITV acted as gatekeepers, deciding which stories were told and how audiences experienced football’s biggest tournament. That world still exists. Millions watch live matches on television, and broadcasters remain dominant when it comes to rights and access. But alongside them, another layer of football media has emerged. While television crews crisscross North America covering matches, content creators are building their own World Cups online. Some host live watchalongs. Others produce daily YouTube analyses. Many are documenting fan culture, diaspora communities and stories that exist beyond the 90 minutes on the pitch. For a growing number of supporters, particularly younger fans, the World Cup is just another sporting event to experience through creators before, during and after kick-off. Few people embody that shift more than Jide Maduako , who set himself an ambitious challenge for the tournament: travel to every nation at the World Cup and document football culture along the way. “I make documentaries where I immerse myself in the culture of a football team,” he says. “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. …