Internet sensation IShowSpeed has become the centre of an online joke ahead of England’s FIFA World Cup quarter-final against Norway on Sunday (5am Malaysian time), with football fans pleading for the streamer not to support the Three Lions after a remarkable run of bad luck involving the teams he has backed.
The 21-year-old content creator, whose real name is Darren Watkins, has attracted millions of viewers by livestreaming from stadiums and attending several matches throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
His latest appearance came during Argentina’s dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt in the Round of 16. Egypt had raced into a 2-0 lead through Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko before Argentina staged a stunning late fightback with goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez.
During the match, Speed was seen wearing an Egypt jersey and even attempted to distract Messi as the Argentine captain stepped up to take a first-half penalty, which was ultimately missed. After the final whistle, the popular streamer appeared visibly disappointed as Egypt crashed out of the tournament.
However, Egypt is far from the only team to have suffered after receiving Speed’s backing. Throughout the World Cup, he has also been spotted wearing the shirts of the United States, Austria, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, Senegal and Portugal — the latter being his favourite team due to his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Remarkably, all eight of those teams have since been eliminated from the tournament, fuelling jokes across social media that Speed has become a “curse” for every nation he supports.
Football content creator Ben Black later shared a TikTok video compiling clips of Speed wearing each team’s jersey before they were knocked out. In a tongue-in-cheek message, Black urged England fans to stop Speed from wearing an England shirt before the quarter-final against Norway.
“If anyone sees him wearing an England jersey, take it off him. Don’t let him wear it. We want to win the World Cup, and we can’t let him ruin that dream,” Black joked.
Adding to his growing presence at the tournament, Speed has signed a broadcasting partnership with FIFA and Fox Sports, allowing him to livestream directly from inside World Cup stadiums throughout the competition.
