FIFA has publicly acknowledged online creator and streamer IShowSpeed after his unofficial 2026 World Cup song attracted millions of views within days of its release.
IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., released the song “World Cup (Champions)” on Monday, June 1. The track quickly gained traction online, surpassing 500,000 views on YouTube within two hours of publication. By Wednesday morning, June 3, the music video had reached 9.3 million views.
Following the release, Watkins appealed directly to FIFA on social media, writing: “Can we make this official?? @FIFAWorldCup.”
The official FIFA World Cup account responded: “…we will be in touch.”
While FIFA has not announced any formal partnership or indicated that the song will receive official tournament status, the reply drew widespread attention from football fans and content creators.
The music video, directed by Zach Madden and executive produced by Slipz and Ames Ward, features references to countries participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and includes visual elements inspired by football culture. Watkins, a longtime supporter of Cristiano Ronaldo, appears throughout the video wearing a Portugal jersey.
The song’s popularity has also sparked strong reactions across social media platforms.
One supporter, posting under the name A.Y.O, said of the feat:
“If there is anything to learn from FIFA’s decision to select Ishowspeed for this, it is the power of positioning. This was not accidental. Here is a guy who traveled the world to immerse himself in the culture of the people, from Africa to Asia and everywhere in between. He built himself for this day.”
Another fan, @suayrez, wrote:
“He’s traveled the world and experienced their culture… This guy deserves to represent the world, to be honest.”
The same user later added:
“FIFA gotta start hiring Speed officially at this point.”
Several comments compared the track favorably to FIFA’s official World Cup music releases.
User @carlos_Ogilvie wrote:
“We live in a timeline where Speed made a better song than Shakira for the World Cup.”
Meanwhile, @Kaelani001 posted:
“Speed just ended FIFA’s music budget with this one.”
Other reactions focused on the song itself.
User @restafajri described it as:
“The FIFA World Cup song of the year.”
Another supporter, @PSubscribe54403, wrote:
“The goat is back with a banger.”
Not all reactions were unanimous. User @CLOUDWYYY said:
“Shakira’s is better, but Speed is better than whatever [Jelly Roll World Cup Song] was.”
Currently, the official FIFA World Cup 2026 anthem is “Dai Dai,” performed by Colombian singer Shakira and Nigerian star Burna Boy.
FIFA selected “Dai Dai” as one of the tournament’s official songs earlier this year. While the track has generated significant attention on streaming platforms and social media, it has faced comparisons with Shakira’s previous World Cup hits, particularly “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Unlike “Dai Dai,” Watkins’ song was independently produced and released without FIFA’s involvement. Nevertheless, many fans have described “World Cup (Champions)” as the tournament’s unofficial anthem.
User @rav3nbuilds summed up one common view, posting:
“Speed be doing free PR for FIFA.”
Another fan, @Iam_Suph, reflected on Watkins’ rise from internet personality to football entertainer.
“From barking on streams to dropping World Cup anthems. This has to be one of the craziest creator arcs ever.”
This is not Watkins’ first football-themed music success. His 2022 song, “World Cup,” became a viral hit and accumulated hundreds of millions of views across digital platforms.
