San Antonio TikTok star chosen to cover behind-the-scenes action at FIFA World Cup
TikTok creator Rachel DeMita loves all things hoops, especially basketball tied to her new home court of San Antonio. Now the host of the hit podcast "Courtside Club" is expanding her game to the world stage with the World Cup.
DeMita is one of only 30 TikTok creators chosen for the first-ever FIFA World Cup 2026 Creator Correspondents, a global team of TikTokers covering the world soccer tournament with all sorts of behind-the-scenes access and fan-first reporting.
Audiences can access that content through TikTok's FIFA World Cup 2026 Hubs and by searching "FIFA World Cup" on TikTok, as well as DeMita's own tiktok.com/@rademita.
DeMita's coverage starts Monday with Belgium vs. Egypt at Lumen Field in Seattle. The World Cup runs through July 19.
DeMita is the only Texan on the Creator Correspondents team, which spans four continents, 11 countries and 22 cities. And the basketball buff can't wait to bring the beautiful game to her hundreds of thousands of TikTok followers and millions more soccer fans on the platform.
"I love all sports," DeMita said. "And luckily, through TikTok obviously, I've built so much of my business around social media... I actually covered the (2026 Winter) Olympics with that and covered some different sports there that I haven't covered in the past. The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world. And it was just so exciting when (TikTok and FIFA) reached out ..."
Like her fellow correspondents, DeMita will highlight just about every aspect of the World Cup beyond the pitch. Team bus arrivals, pre-match press conferences, training sessions and warm-ups ... it's all access for audiences at home.
That also includes all the soccer fans at all the stadiums in all their face-painting, flag-waving, noise-making glory.
"I love to share just from the fan experience, from the fan side of it, because that's one of the coolest things about these global sporting events," DeMita said. "We're going to get so many people from all around the globe that are going to be at these games. And if you've seen that atmosphere, it's just next level."
DiMata is especially excited to cover Wednesday's match between Portugal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
This year marks the sixth and possibly last World Cup appearance for Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Though as pumped as DeMita is to see Ronaldo in person, she's just as thrilled to highlight D.R. Congo super-fan Michel Nkuka Mboladinga.
Better known as "Lumumba Vea," Mboladinga is the social media star who poses as a statue of slain African independence hero Patrice Lumumba at D.R. Congo games. The, ahem, statuesque fan stands perfectly still the entire match. The D.R. Congo team will bring him along for Wednesday's game.
DeMita noted the TikTok/FIFA partnership shows just how much select social media content has evolved in quality and production from a fan's perspective or smartphone.
"You'll (still) get the broadcast and the very polished color commentators, and that's so important for the game," DeMita said. "But you can also go on TikTok and simultaneously watch my content and see what the fans are saying and get kind of that behind-the-scenes on the sideline, if you want to call it."
DiMita's own sports ties go well beyond spectating. The McDonald's All-American nominee was a four-time Ohio Top 64 basketball player in high school, and played guard at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, with a full-ride Division 1 scholarship. She later played alongside former NBA pros in the 2017 and 2018 NBA All-Star Celebrity Games.
DeMita briefly went into fashion after earning a degree in journalism and performing arts, then leapt back into sports hosting NBA 2KTV, the first-of-its-kind weekly TV show broadcast through a video game. That led to hosting and production work for Bleacher Report, ESPN, NBA.com and other digital platforms.
Which brings us to DiMata's love for and from San Antonio.
The former Angelino first visited the Alamo City in 2018 for the men's Final Four and just clicked with the 210. That same year, she met then-Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson, who was born and raised in, you guessed it, San Antonio. They married last year.
DeMita said she's had a blast watching Spurs star Victor Wembanyama's passion and his fellow teammates' wise-beyond-their-years mindset, even with all the highs and lows of this year's NBA Finals.
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"The Spurs have been incredible this season and they're building a dynasty and a legacy," she said. (T)his is not going to be the last time we see this team there (in the Finals)."
And just like DiMata sees upside for the Spurs, she likewise sees potential for this year's World Cup to level up her own game as well.
"It's just such an exciting time for all sports," she said. "And also just to be in San Antonio."
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