After Argentina edged Cape Verde 3-2 on Friday, FIFA announced it was looking into reports that American influencer, musician and online streamer IShowSpeed faced racist abuse from a fan.
He has also live-streamed matches during the tournament, featuring surprise cameos from FIFA boss Gianni Infantino and football legend Zlatan Ibrahimović.
On his YouTube channel, Speed shared footage of himself in a Cape Verde jersey, caught up in a heated exchange with an Argentina supporter in the stands.
After This, What FIFA Said
FIFA responded to the incident by reaffirming its belief that the game is for everyone, built on respect and inclusion. The organization noted:
“The FIFA World Cup is a celebration of unity, diversity, and respect. It brings together people, cultures, and communities from around the world, and anyone who acts in a manner that undermines these values is not welcome in our game.”
Influencer Everyone’s Talking About
Known online as IShowSpeed, Darren Jason Watkins Jr. (born January 21, 2005) brings dramatic flair and boundless energy to his streams, from gaming sessions to real‑life broadcasts across the globe.
Watkins has built an enormous fanbase with 57 million subscribers on YouTube and 53 million followers on TikTok. He kicked off his channel in 2016 with gaming videos, but it was his fiery reactions in 2021 that really put him on the map. Since then, Speed’s rise has been unstoppable—earning Breakout Streamer of the Year at the 12th Streamy Awards in 2022, and back‑to‑back Streamer of the Year wins at the 2024 and 2025 Streamer Awards.
