NFL Partners With Deestroying, Zach King, Dhar Mann and More Creators for the 2026-2027 Season | Exclusive

Creators will be hitting the field for the 2026 NFL Kickoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. Both Deestroying (6.5 million YouTube subscribers) and Zach King (43.4 million subscribers) are partnering with the league to capture the excitement of the Super Bowl LX rematch, TheWrap has exclusively learned, and are just two of dozens of creators who will be part of the NFL’s season this year. The kickoff game will air Wednesday at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Thursday night in the U.S. will see more than 100 creators traveling to the Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch the San Francisco 49ers face off against the Los Angeles Rams. Notable attendees include Australian singer and songwriter G FLIP, singer and pianist Harry Connick Jr., snowboarder Scotty James, singer Dannii Minogue, rapper and actor O’Shea Jackson Jr., creator and wife of 49ers tight end George Kittle Claire Kittle (483,000 Instagram followers), creator and designer Kristin Juszczyk (1.2 million Instagram followers), creator Jay Mendoza (1.2 million TikTok followers) and Mr. Chuy (3.1 million TikTok followers). The NFL’s first-ever regular season game in Australia will stream on Netflix at 8:35 p.m. ET Thursday, Sept. 10 (10:35 a.m. AEST Friday, Sept. 11) and will include a halftime performance by the Jonas Brothers. With nine international games this season — the most in the history of the league — the NFL will invite creators in key markets to capture the game around the game. For example, the Sept. 27 in Rio de Janeiro between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens will include several Brazilian and American creators who have over 200 million followers collectively. Those include Gabriela Moura (11.5 million TikTok followers), Josh Richards (24.8 million TikTok followers), Tini Younger (12.5 million TikTok followers), Tota (4.9 million TikTok followers), Rakai (1.9 million Instagram followers) and Receba (2.2 million YouTube subscribers). “For us, it’s really a combination of global and local relevance,” Ian Trombetta, senior vice president of Global Social, Creator and Content Marketing for the NFL, told TheWrap. “Of course, there are amazing creators like MrBeast or IShowSpeed whose communities have no borders, but there are also emerging creators within each of our international markets who have a deep knowledge of the local culture and have the ability to provide a new perspective on their experience with the league as well as the clubs throughout the year. We’re encouraged by the work our local markets are doing and it is safe to say that all of them are expanding their offerings for and with creators throughout the season regardless of whether or not they have a game coming up in their country.” The NFL and YouTube are also bringing back their Creator of the Week program. During the course of the season, 12 creators will be given behind-the-scenes access to teams, players and gameday experiences, allowing them to bring their fans closer to the biggest games of the day. Last year’s program led to more than 86 million views across all YouTube and NFL channels. King will kickoff this season’s program in Seattle. Other creators part of this year’s program include Jack Mancuso (2.3 million YouTube subscribers) on Sept. 17 for the Detroit Lions vs. Buffalo Bills, Receba on Sept. 27 for Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys in Rio and Chef En Proceso (3.6 million YouTube subscribers) on Nov. 22 for the Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City. Trombetta praised the 32 teams in the league for embracing the Creator of the Week program and giving these creators access to facilities, games and key strategic initiatives. “This year, with our Creator of the Week Program, we’re incredibly excited to see depth of storytelling and passion they each have for the game while also being able to create content that fits their community,” Trombetta said. “For example, we’ll have creators traveling to international games and documenting that experience, attending various tailgates around the country to showcase the best food around the stadiums, fashion creators talking about the tunnel fits and much more.” He also teased that there will be “several scaled up surprises throughout the season as well as at the Super Bowl in Los Angeles.” Last year, the NFL pushed its creator partnerships to new limits after unveiling a stunt where MrBeast “bought” the NFL. The Creator of the Week program will also include shorts from Dhar Mann (27.6 million YouTube subscribers), The Golden Balance (3.6 million YouTube subscribers), Morgan Riddle (612,000 Instagram followers) and more. “Our partnership with the NFL has redefined how the next generation experiences football,” said Angela Courtin, vice president of Sports and Entertainment Marketing for YouTube, said. “Initiatives like Creator of the Week and our flag football games — which most recently drew over 14 million live views — demonstrate the massive reach of creator-led storytelling. The NFL’s commitment to creators is ushering in a new wave of fans and we’re proud that YouTube continues to lead the way.” The NFL is also partnering with the Snapchat Creator program. The league will spotlight two global creators who create NFL content throughout the season, which will culminate in an international game appearance as well as a Super Bowl LXI appearance. Last year’s partnership between the two companies led to Olympic Gold Medalist Suni Lee and The Ocky Way (1.4 million YouTube subscribers) being highlighted. The league will also continue to partner with female creators to expand its audience. This includes collaborations with Riddle, founder of The 400 Club Cherry Beagle and emerging voices like Allie Anthony (45,800 Instagram followers). Finally, the NFL will be bringing back its Celebrity Photographer Series, which invites athletes, entertainers and creators to come onto the sidelines and temporarily become credentialed NFL photographers. Each amateur photographer is paired with league’s Live Content Correspondents team and given insider access and mentorship. Long-time Seattle Seahawks fan Joel McHale will be the celebrity photographer for the NFL Kickoff game on Wednesday. Olympian James and actor Sam Corlett will then be the photographers for the 49ers vs. Rams game in Melborne. More celebrity photographers will be announced throughout the season.