YouTube and Twitch star Darren “IShowSpeed” has stated that he may not attend the 2026 Ballon d’Or because of one rule, telling his audience that they should not “expect him to go.” During a livestream on October 11, 2026, while IShowSpeed was reviewing submissions on his official Discord server, he came across a post in which a fan stated that he should do something “different” if he attends the Ballon d’Or 2026:
“Speed if you’re going to Ballon D’or 2027 you should make it different and bring a date with you. (the date should be a footballer and it’s just for content.)”
In response, the Ohio native expressed apprehension about attending the annual awards ceremony because, according to him, livestreaming from Ballon d’Or 2026 is prohibited.
He elaborated:
“Chat, I don’t think I’m going to the Ballon d’Or this year, chat, unfortunately, bro. I don’t think I’m going, chat. They said you can’t stream this year, bro. I was like… (the streamer blows a raspberry) I was like, bro… that kinda got me like, ‘Bro, I don’t think I’m going; I’m going to be honest.’ So, don’t expect me to go; I don’t think I’m going.”
Fans had a lot to say about IShowSpeed’s intention not to attend Ballon d’Or 2026.
“if you cant then you cant but instead you can make a sick vlog!” X user @RybakAlex_ wrote.
“Proof that he’s larper. He will only attend if he can make money out of it. Why not just go as a die hard fan and have fun? He can still meet all his favorite athletes and have a great time. But he won’t have a great time cause he isn’t a die hard fan” X user @Himalayanhitman remarked.
“he is a larper, only becomes football fan if football benefit his stream” X user @iveervirre commented.
“That’s a W” – IShowSpeed comments on Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly returning to the Portugal national team
During the same livestream on October 11, 2026, IShowSpeed discovered Fabrizio Romano’s recent X post, in which he reported that Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to return to the Portuguese national team in November.
Romano reported:
“BREAKING: Cristiano Ronaldo expected to return with Portugal national team already in November, says FPF president. “The Federation, the coach, all the teammates are aligned: we want Cristiano back. I expect him back already during the November international break”, says Pedro Proença. “Cristiano is also willing to return. He’s the best of all time”.”
Commenting on the news, IShowSpeed said:
“Okay! W! That’s a W! November, Ronaldo is back. All right, chat, should I go to the Denmark game or the Wales game? Denmark or Wales?”
IShowSpeed made headlines on September 7, 2026, when he and Jason “Jasontheween” got into an argument over “emotions.“
Edited by Aarnesh Shrivastava
