The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 14 with Ecuador facing Ivory Coast at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, a match scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. It’s the first time these two nations have ever met on the World Cup stage.

But the real opener happened five days earlier. On June 9, FIFA announced that Kraken would serve as the tournament’s Official Crypto Exchange Supporter, making it the first cryptocurrency partnership in World Cup history.

The match: what’s at stake on the pitch

Ecuador enters its fifth World Cup appearance looking to finally advance past the group stage in convincing fashion.

Ivory Coast, meanwhile, returns to the World Cup after a 12-year absence. Their last appearance came in 2014, and reaching this tournament represents a significant achievement for a program rebuilding after the departure of its golden generation.

Group E is no cakewalk for either side. Germany and Curaçao round out the group, meaning Ecuador and Ivory Coast are effectively competing for what most expect to be the second qualifying spot behind the Germans.

The match will be broadcast widely across Latin America. In Ecuador, fans can tune into Teleamazonas, Disney+, and DSports. Colombian viewers get DSports and Disney+. In Peru, it’s DSports, América TV, and Disney+. Argentine audiences can watch on DSports, Telefe, and Disney+. US viewers have Telemundo and Disney+ as their options. Mexico gets the match on Vix, while Chilean fans can watch on Chilevisión and Disney+.

Kickoff times vary by region: 18:00 in Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. 19:00 in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Chile. 20:00 in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. 17:00 in El Salvador and Mexico. And for the truly dedicated Spanish fans, 01:00 on Monday, June 15.

Kraken’s FIFA deal and what it means for crypto

Separately, Chiliz is reportedly planning a $50 to $100 million push into national team fan tokens timed around the tournament. Chiliz operates Socios.com, the platform behind fan tokens for dozens of major sports organizations.

Fan tokens give holders voting rights on minor team decisions (jersey designs, walkout songs, that sort of thing) and access to exclusive experiences. They’ve been controversial because their prices tend to spike around major events and then deflate, leaving late buyers holding the bag.

Why crypto investors should pay attention

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar saw notable surges in tokens associated with qualifying nations, even without an official crypto exchange partner involved.

The Chiliz investment of $50 to $100 million, if it materializes at the higher end, would represent one of the largest single capital deployments in the fan token space.