Just when football fans thought the overlap between the FIFA World Cup and Twitch couldn’t get better after Casimiro confirmed he’ll be streaming all of Brazil’s games, Luis Enrique, the coach of Spain, dropped another bombshell.
He intends to stream his experience with the team throughout the course of the tournament on Twitch, providing a rare insight into what goes on in the squad behind closed doors.
Enrique announced the news himself on Twitter.
“Hello everyone! Streamers of the world, watch out! I’m coming in fast!” he said on Nov. 14. “I’m recording this video to let everyone know that I’ve become a streamer! Well, not yet. I haven’t actually made my debut yet. But my idea is to stream throughout our time in Qatar!”
Enrique said the team will arrive in Qatar on Nov. 18, and he intends to start streaming right away. As for what motivated him to do it, he said: “I want to establish a direct relationship with you, the fans, and whoever else may be interested in any information about the team told from a specific viewpoint ( mine, and that of my staff).”
The move will make history with it’s up close and personal access.
The Spanish coach admitted it was a “spontaneous” idea, but believes it would be an “interesting” experiment that would help create an “unfiltered relationship” between the team and fans. He also poked fun at himself by assuring fans the production quality of the stream would be a lot better than it was in his announcement video.
“The stream can only improve,” the Spain boss laughed.
“I’m really excited now to experience the excitement that is a world cup, the pressure that is a world cup, and to have that communication with all of you,” he added.
It’s an unconventional approach, but it’s one that avoids having a television network regulate content, which makes for a more authentic experience. They can pick and choose what they want to share. It doesn’t have to follow a script.
It also means they don’t need to worry about the media putting a negative spin on things like how squad morale is doing, whether there are any issues in the locker room, or if a player is carrying a niggling injury.
It’s a more candid approach, and modern fans will appreciate that.
The thought of seeing official FIFA World Cup content on Twitch seemed like a pipe dream once upon a time. Now, it’s a reality, and one made possible by the Amazon-owned streaming titan.
And considering the Spanish-speaking community is the second-biggest on Twitch, closely followed by Portuguese fans, it will certainly fare well in terms of viewership.
