The Sidemen Charity Match has once again shattered expectations. It raised a record-breaking £4,733,004 for various charities, including BBC Children in Need.
The stimulating match, which resulted in an interesting 9-9 draw, was held at Wembley Stadium before a sold-out crowd. A tense penalty shootout forced the YouTube Allstars to claim victory over Sidemen FC.
Sidemen Charity Match: A spectacle of sport and generosity
The Sidemen Charity Match is a recurring charity football match organized by the British YouTube group The Sidemen. Founded in 2016, it features two teams of influencers contesting a friendly game while raising money for various British charities.
Since 2016, the event has been held on six occasions: one at St Mary’s Stadium, three at the Valley, one at London Stadium, and one at Wembley Stadium. All matches have been live-streamed via YouTube, promoting various charitable causes.
In each edition, the seven members of the Sidemen—KSI, W2S, Miniminter, Zerkaa, Vikkstar123, TBJZL, and Behzinga—and various affiliated YouTubers compete as the Sidemen Football Club [note 1], while various other influencers compete as the YouTube Allstars.
The fourth charity match, held in 2022, is recognized by Guinness World Records for the highest live viewership on a YouTube charity sports match, peaking at over 2.5 million viewers. As of March 2025, the events have raised over £8.5 million for various British charities.
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The Sidemen – a seven-strong group that includes content creators, musicians, and boxer KSI – have more than 146 million YouTube subscribers. A statement by the organizers revealed that over 8 million people tuned in worldwide to watch the live stream. The statement added that all 90,000 tickets for the game were sold in three hours.
The rise of the Sidemen: From YouTube to philanthropy
The Sidemen revealed that they raised almost double the amount in their previous charity match at West Ham’s London Stadium, which raised £2m in 2023. Other beneficiary charities are Bright Side, which fundraises for organizations supporting equal opportunities, and the educational charity M7 Education.
The two captains were The Sidemen’s Miniminter for Sidemen FC and IShowSpeed for YouTube Allstars. Mr Beast, a YouTube sensation, was also featured for the All-Stars.
Both teams were drawing 4-4 at half-time, and surprise half-time performances came from rapper AJ Tracey and The Sidemen’s own KSI, who performed his track Thick Of It. After the 9-9 draw, the YouTube All-Stars sealed the win on penalties.
The seven members of the Sidemen went from making gaming content in their bedrooms to running an online conglomerate. Its members are: Olajide ‘JJ’ Olatunji (KSI), Simon Minter (Miniminter), Joshua Bradley (Zerkaa), Tobit ‘Tobi’ Brown (TBJZL), Ethan Payne (Behzinga), Vikram Singh Barn (Vikkstar123), and Harry Lewis (W2S). Representatives revealed that their YouTube channels have over 6 billion views globally.
The Sidemen Charity Match’s ability to unite fans for a charitable cause underlines its commitment to using its platform for good.