How soccer creators are helping to make the World Cup more than a moment

Raheem Taylor-Parkes stepped away from pro soccer in 2021 after missing out on the MLS draft two years in a row. The decision ultimately launched his career in soccer—in front of the camera, that is.

He now hosts the podcast The Late Run with Chad Ochocinco, serves as a talent coordinator for soccer media company Footballco, and has racked up over 22,000 followers on Instagram and almost 14,000 on TikTok with his own soccer content, fulfilling his childhood dream in a different way than he imagined.

“Growing up playing soccer my whole entire life, I wanted to make soccer be the biggest sport in America,” Taylor-Parkes told Marketing Brew. “Seeing the NFL, the NBA, how influential [they are] to the culture of America—whether it’s music, whether it’s fashion—seeing all these other aspects that sports tie into, I really want soccer to have that mainstream impact.”

Taylor-Parkes isn’t the only one flooding the zone with soccer content ahead of the World Cup. With excitement for the sport reaching a fever pitch in the US, international soccer organizations, brands, and platforms are looking to creator players and fans beyond the national team rosters in an effort to drive lasting soccer fandom.

Fan cam

While MLS, the NWSL, and other soccer orgs and sponsors have worked to grow their fanbases in the run-up to the World Cup, international soccer leagues have also tried to recruit American fans. That’s easier said than done, though, since the US fanbase doesn’t necessarily have the same historical affinity and understanding of soccer that fans in other countries do.

Creators can help bridge that gap, Adrian Segovia, EVP and head of content and distribution for LaLiga North America, told us.

“The most important thing is to have people that organically are speaking about soccer here, and living the passion,” he said. “Sometimes for me, it’s not super important the fanbase that they have. It’s more important that these are real Real Madrid fans, or real Barcelona fans.”

Die-hard fans have the deepest understanding of what kinds of content and topics will resonate with their peers, Segovia added. Take Taylor-Parkes: On May 5, he dropped a video about Arsenal fans responding to trash talk, since the team spent three seasons in a row coming in second in the Premier League, and tends to attract strong opinions about its play. Two weeks later, Arsenal became league champions.

“I use my personality and implement what’s going on in the culture,” Taylor-Parkes said. “That video got over 200,000 likes because so many people relate to this soccer team and have a passion for the club.”

FIFA, too, recognizes the importance of soccer fans in driving World Cup interest: The governing body is partnering with TikTok to send 30 creators from around the world to produce content throughout the tournament, who were chosen in part for their love of the game, according to TikTok.

Training camp

Kevin DeCristoforo, a longtime soccer player who recently started creating soccer content, said he takes a similar approach to engaging his audience by trying to make his videos relatable. He often does it through comedy, like in a series of videos poking fun at different kinds of fans and players.

DeCristoforo, who has worked with brands like Dove and Ray-Ban Meta, said marketers are starting to understand the potential of including creators in their soccer campaigns.

“If you’re a familiar face, keep popping up on someone’s feed, you build trust,” he said. “If you’re able to build that connection with someone from the screen, people are going to want to buy the product that [their] favorite creator is using or they’re recommending.”

Visa, an official FIFA sponsor for 19 years that’s running a star-studded World Cup campaign, is bringing a range of influencers into the mix to appeal to fans who “may not be necessarily super in tune and connected with the game,” Andrea Fairchild, Visa’s SVP of global sponsorship strategy, told us.

Long ball

Creators and league execs have a vested interest in ensuring those newer, more casual fans stick around to engage after the World Cup.

Bundesliga, the top German pro league, has been sending creators from countries like Mexico and the US to “discover a club” in Germany and then highlight the culture for their followers, according to Lucy Hartwell, who leads the day-to-day content strategy for the league in the Americas. It’s a strategy that started last season, she said, and will continue beyond the World Cup, which she also hopes will give the league a boost outside of its home country.

The World Cup “spotlights different players that are in the Bundesliga,” she said. “So many of those [player] stories are coming out. The World Cup is more just an accelerating factor that’s going to make next season even more exciting.”