The 2026 FIFA World Cup is officially underway, and crypto is along for the ride. Kraken was named FIFA’s Official Crypto Exchange Supporter on June 9, marking the first time a World Cup has featured a formal partnership with a cryptocurrency exchange.

The deal, targeting fan engagement across North America and Europe, arrived just days before Sweden and Tunisia face off in their Group F opener on June 14 at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico.

The biggest World Cup ever meets its biggest crypto bet

The 2026 tournament is the first to feature 48 teams and 104 matches, expanding from the traditional 32-team format. It runs from June 11 to July 19, hosted across the US, Mexico, and Canada.

For context, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar drew an estimated cumulative television audience of over 5 billion viewers. The expanded 2026 format is expected to surpass that.

Prediction markets and promotions are already surging

Chainlink is providing oracle technology to support on-chain prediction markets tied to World Cup fixtures. Oracles are the bridge between real-world data (like match results) and blockchain-based contracts. They ensure that when Sweden beats Tunisia (or doesn’t), the smart contract pays out the right people.

MEXC is running its own World Cup prediction contest with a prize pool of 1.36 million USDT, set to run through July 19. Regulated prediction platforms like Kalshi are also seeing activity around World Cup markets.

The fan token gap

None of the four teams in Group F — Sweden, Tunisia, the Netherlands, or Japan — have issued official fan tokens through Chiliz’s Socios platform.

Socios has partnered with major football clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, and Juventus, but national team adoption has been uneven at best. The lack of Group F fan tokens means there’s no direct crypto-native way for fans to express financial allegiance to these specific squads.