Football fans in Afghanistan will be able to watch the inaugural FIFA YouTube Creator Cup live and exclusively on Ariana Television and Ariana Sport YouTube channels in the early hours of Monday morning. 

The exhibition match, hosted by FIFA and YouTube in New York City, brings together some of the world’s leading YouTube creators, elite athletes and celebrities in a celebration of football and digital entertainment. The event will be streamed globally on YouTube as part of FIFA’s partnership with the platform.

Fans in Afghanistan can stream the event from 1.30am tonight on Ariana Television YouTube Channel and on Ariana Sport YouTube Channel. 

The Creator Cup forms part of FIFA’s Preferred Platform Partnership with YouTube, announced earlier this year, which aims to make YouTube a major destination for FIFA World Cup content throughout the 2026 tournament.

FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström said the collaboration reflects the organisation’s commitment to expanding the reach of the World Cup through digital platforms.

“This collaboration with YouTube reinforces our ambition to maximise the tournament’s impact across the ever-evolving media landscape,” he said.

The Creator Cup will feature some of the world’s biggest online personalities, with creators representing more than a dozen countries. Participants include football content creators, lifestyle influencers and entertainers with a combined audience of more than 350 million subscribers.

Among the creators taking part are Celine Dept of Belgium, The Sidemen from the United Kingdom, Jesser and Deestroying from the United States, Jeenie Weenie from Canada, Noor Stars from the United Arab Emirates, TokaiOnAir RYO of Japan, Kwak Yoongy from South Korea, Kika Kim from Kazakhstan and Viniblogger from Brazil.

The event is expected to include behind-the-scenes content, creator challenges and a showcase match designed to connect football with the next generation of digital audiences.

The Creator Cup also highlights YouTube’s growing role in FIFA’s media strategy. During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, official broadcast partners have been given access to stream the opening 10 minutes of every match on YouTube, while selected broadcasters are also showing full matches and exclusive digital content.

Fans across Afghanistan can watch the FIFA YouTube Creator Cup live and exclusively on the Ariana Television and Ariana Sport YouTube channels, bringing the global creator event directly to Afghan audiences.

France striker Kylian Mbappe and Argentina captain Lionel Messi remain locked at the top of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot standings with eight goals each as the tournament heads into the semi-finals.

Even though Argentina secured a 3-1 quarter-final victory over Switzerland on Sunday to help the defending champions reach the last four, Mbappe retained first place in the standings by virtue of the tournament’s tiebreak criteria.

The FIFA Golden Boot is awarded to the tournament’s leading scorer. If two or more players finish level on goals, the first tiebreaker is assists, followed by the fewest minutes played. Mbappe has provided three assists in 563 minutes, while Messi has two assists in 608 minutes, giving the France forward the advantage.

Norway’s Erling Haaland sits third with seven goals after his country’s quarter-final exit to England, ending his chances of challenging for the award.

England have two players still in contention, with midfielder Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane both on six goals and one assist. Bellingham is ranked fourth ahead of Kane after playing fewer minutes during the tournament.

With France, Argentina and England all through to the semi-finals, four of the top five players in the Golden Boot race will have at least one more opportunity to add to their goal tallies.

France face Spain in the first semi-final on Tuesday, July 14, while England take on defending champions Argentina on Wednesday, July 15.

The race for the Golden Boot is expected to go down to the wire, with every goal in the remaining matches potentially deciding who finishes as the tournament’s leading scorer.

Fans across Afghanistan can tune in to watch these exciting matches live and exclusively on Ariana Radio and Television Network. For updated schedules follow Ariana News and Ariana Television’s social media pages. 

Mikel Merino scored a late winner as Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 to reach the FIFA World Cup semi-finals, setting up a clash with France.

Spain took the lead through Fabián Ruiz in the 30th minute before Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere equalised 11 minutes later with a header.

The match appeared headed for extra time until substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens, who replaced the injured Thibaut Courtois, failed to hold Pau Cubarsí’s shot, allowing Merino to score the winner in the 88th minute.

It was Merino’s second consecutive match-winning goal as a substitute after his late strike against Portugal in the round of 16.

Spain, who last won the World Cup in 2010, will face France on Tuesday in Dallas for a place in the final. Belgium’s tournament ended after suffering key injury setbacks, including the loss of Courtois and midfielder Amadou Onana.

Ariana Television Network (ATN) is broadcasting every FIFA World Cup 2026 match live across Afghanistan. Football fans can also follow Ariana Television and Ariana News on Facebook, X, Instagram and Telegram for the latest match schedules, live coverage, highlights and tournament updates.