England meets the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the World Cup Round of 32 on July 1 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Prediction markets have England priced at roughly 77.5% to win the match. Fan-token trading volumes surged throughout the group stage. And FIFA itself has, for the first time in history, partnered with a crypto exchange.

Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. ET, or 5:00 p.m. BST for the home fans. England topped its group and enters the knockout round as one of the tournament favorites. The DRC, meanwhile, delivered one of the more surprising group-stage performances, advancing to the Round of 32 in what marks a genuine milestone for Congolese football.

FIFA’s Kraken partnership changes the game

On June 9, 2026, FIFA announced Kraken as its Official Crypto Exchange Supporter across North America and Europe. This is the first time a crypto exchange has secured an official partnership with FIFA at a World Cup.

Fan tokens and the trading frenzy

National-team fan tokens saw significant volume increases during the late June group stage. Tokens like $ARG, SAFA, and SNFT, tied to various participating nations through the Chiliz ecosystem, became active trading instruments as teams advanced or were eliminated.

Neither England nor the DRC has a prominent fan token trading on major platforms. When there’s no direct token to trade, speculation flows into broader ecosystem tokens, prediction market positions, and meme-adjacent plays.

For those tracking prediction markets, platforms like Polymarket have become real-time sentiment gauges for individual matches. The 77.5% implied probability for England isn’t just a betting line. It’s a data point that traders in adjacent markets use to calibrate their own positions on fan tokens, ecosystem plays, and broader crypto sentiment.