World Cup Goes Online: Korean Platforms Battle for Fans

With the opening of the FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, the platform and gaming industries are buzzing. Led by Naver, which is livestreaming all matches on its own streaming platform, companies are competing in marketing to capitalize on the World Cup boom. Users will be able to enjoy the World Cup in various ways through streamers' "ip-junggye" (an unofficial commentary in which streamers provide narration only, without a broadcast feed, during matches) running alongside the live broadcasts, as well as mini-games and online cheering rallies.

According to the information technology (IT) industry on Thursday, Naver's own streaming platform "Chzzk" recorded a peak of 4.82 million concurrent viewers during the Group A first match between Korea and the Czech Republic held the previous day. This figure is more than six times the previous record of 760,000 concurrent viewers set during the broadcast of the "2025 League of Legends (LoL) World Championship."

Naver, which exclusively secured the domestic new-media broadcasting rights for this World Cup, will livestream all World Cup matches held through July 20 exclusively online on Chzzk. In addition to official broadcasts by TV networks, Naver offers "co-watching" with various creator channels, including popular streamers Han Dong-suk and Wolf, as well as Shoot for Love, ESTAR TV, Channel Fifteen Nights, and PLAVE. Co-watching is a feature that allows users to watch the official broadcast and creator broadcasts simultaneously.

Naver is running a "World Cup Match Prediction" event in collaboration with official FIFA sponsor Coca-Cola, and is offering new Naver Plus Membership subscribers a Naver Plus Store shopping support coupon pack worth up to 10,000 won and a 3,000 won discount coupon for Kurly N Mart.

Nexon, partnering with Naver, allows users to play "FC Online," a soccer game, as a mini-game on the Chzzk match screen. The mini-games incorporate core elements of the existing game, such as the curving-shot challenge and the free-kick challenge.

Upon completing all mini-games, an "FC Online" or "FC Mobile" coupon code is issued to the user's Npay storage, and the code can be entered in the game to receive reward items. Nexon expects soccer fandom to translate into game adoption through a structure that naturally connects watching soccer matches with playing games.

SOOP is strengthening support for streamers who produce soccer content during the World Cup period. Through the 30th, it will pay an additional 50% in content support funds to streamers running soccer-related content.

This support was arranged to help produce various forms of soccer content, including not only match broadcasts and analysis but also overseas soccer tours, in-person viewing, visits to soccer-themed restaurants, and talk and entertainment-style content. SOOP will also feature ip-junggye from various streamers, including Gamst, Lee Joo-heon (ESTAR TV), Park Pippi, and Yeopu, during the tournament. SOOP has also prepared a "Drops Event" that provides game cash and gift vouchers to viewers of broadcast content.

Kakao is running "KakaoTalk Cheering Rally," a campaign that allows soccer fans to communicate and cheer in real time. Users can participate in the form of open chats in KakaoTalk's third tab, "Now," with the rallies held on the 18th-19th and 24th-25th, timed to the first, second, and third matches. Kakao plans to operate three open chat rooms: the "Legend Room" and "Icon Room," where users cheer for the national team together and discuss various soccer topics, and the "Solitude Room," for light, image-centered communication.

"We prepared this campaign so that users can easily and enjoyably communicate and share the joy of cheering," a Kakao official said. "Going forward, we plan to offer participatory experiences in the 'Now' tab where users naturally connect around common interests and enjoy them together."