Rakai at the BET Awards Media House last year. Robin L Marshall/Getty Images Broadcast network Fox and cable channel FS1 have the exclusive English-language rights (in the United States) to the upcoming FIFA World Cup, carrying all 104 matches of the tournament. For those who find soccer to be too slow-paced and lengthy, streamer Fox One has the alt-programming for you. Maybe.
Fox One and Overtime, the social-first sports media company, have teamed up on an unscripted shortform digital series, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Race to Glory, which launches Sunday, is kind of like an Amazing Race deal — only with two teams of shortform creators.
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“Mud United” is captained by Rakai, who grew his brand after making a basketball shot over Kyrie Irving. (If that’s all it takes, Damian Lillard should be the biggest star on Instagram.) Rakai’s teammates include Tota, a Brazilian creator who was selected for Kai Cenat’s Streamer University; H00pify, the Buffalo-bred basketball and internet culture creator known for “Takeover Thursdays”; and soccer, fitness and lifestyle creator Sam Russo.
Together, they’ll take on “Aura City,” captained by Tylil, a Bronx streamer. The team is filled out by Sketch, winner of best sports streamer at the 2024 Streamer Awards; content creator Davis, founding member of creator collective AMP; and soccer creator and host Rose Ruland.
If you don’t know who any of these people are, well, your kids probably do. Jolie Sharpe will host the series, which will see the creators compete in “soccer-inspired challenges” across World Cup cities New York (May 27–29), Los Angeles (June 12–13), Miami (June 27–28) and Philadelphia (July 12–14). All told, Overtime will produce “more than 500 pieces of original shortform content” for this collaboration, “including behind-the-scenes footage, challenge videos, selfies and recaps, all distributed across dedicated social channels,” the companies say.
“Creators play a critical role in how younger fans experience sports today,” said Brian Borkowski, chief marketing officer, Fox direct to consumer. “Together with Overtime, we’re delivering tournament content that feels native and engaging for the next generation. By tapping into creator voices, we’re giving fans new ways to experience the energy, storytelling and culture of the tournament beyond the game itself.”
Fox One is the streaming home to all things Fox, including the broadcast and cable channels’ shows and live sports, plus Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Weather and niche streamer Fox Nation. Plans begin at $19.99 per month
“Overtime brings sports to the next generation of fans, and there is no bigger stage to do that than the World Cup. Fox One is where every match will live, and our job is to make sure the fans who grew up on their phones know exactly where to find it,” said Marc Kohn, president of content, Overtime. “This is a first-of-its-kind collaboration and production built specifically for the next generation of sports fans. We assembled a cast that reflects how young audiences consume sports today: creators, streamers, entertainers and soccer fans that have deep connections with their communities and millions of followers. Bringing them together across four cities throughout the tournament will allow us to create content that feels competitive, unpredictable and native to the way younger fans engage with sports.”
The World Cup kicks off on June 11.
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