The start of TikTok’s live football takeover? World Cup clips to be shown on social media platform after deal following Donald Trump’s ban threat

TikTok has stepped up its involvement in live football coverage after FIFA announced clips from this year’s World Cup will be broadcast on the social media platform.

The deal between FIFA and TikTok will run until the end of 2026 and will also see world football’s governing body give access to select press conferences and training sessions to content creators.

FIFA said the agreement would ‘bring millions more fans closer to the action’.

It has been announced just weeks after TikTok signed a deal to allow it to continue operating in the US following Donald Trump‘s threat to ban the platform over national security and privacy concerns.

The US had accused TikTok of acting as a vehicle to harvest data from American users, claims denied by the company.

‘This is an innovative and creative collaboration that will connect more fans across the globe to the FIFA World Cup in unprecedented ways, bringing them behind the curtain and closer to the action than ever before,’ FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said.

Donald Trump had threatened to ban TikTok five years ago but the company recently signed a deal which allows it to continue operating in the US

‘As football grows and evolves — uniting an increasing number of people — so should the way it is shared and promoted.’

In 2020, Trump issued an executive order threatening to ban TikTok to ‘safeguard the national security of the United States’.

Four years later, under the Joe Biden administration, the US Congress passed a law to ban the app over national security concerns, unless it was sold.

The deal signed by TikTok’s owner, Chinese entity ByteDance, sees the company form a joint venture which allows it to maintain its operations in the US.

TikTok had a similar deal in place with FIFA for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. 

The World Cup is being hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. The 48-team tournament begins on June 11 and ends with the final on July 19.