Kraken’s FIFA World Cup deal puts crypto front and center as USMNT faces Turkey on June 25
The first-ever official crypto exchange partnership with FIFA arrives as fan tokens and prediction markets see surging interest during the 2026 World Cup
The US Men’s National Team takes on Turkey at SoFi Stadium on June 25 in a World Cup Group D match. Kraken became FIFA’s first Official Crypto Exchange Supporter on June 9, 2026, a partnership that has placed digital assets squarely in the mainstream spotlight during the biggest sporting event on earth.
Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM PT at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The USMNT rolled through their first two Group D fixtures, beating Paraguay 4-1 on June 12 and Australia 2-0 on June 19.
Turkey has struggled heading into the tournament.
Kraken, Chiliz, and the fan token economy
The fan token ecosystem, primarily powered by Chiliz (CHZ), has been the most direct beneficiary. Chiliz underpins the infrastructure that allows fans to buy tokens tied to their favorite national teams and clubs. Historically, Chiliz’s sports partners have generated over $700 million in revenue through this model.
Fans buy tokens that give them voting rights on minor club decisions, access to exclusive content, and bragging rights. The tokens trade on secondary markets, meaning their price fluctuates based on demand, which tends to correlate with how well the associated team is performing.
Fan tokens tied to national teams, like Argentina’s ARG token, have seen notable trading interest during the tournament. Specific USMNT or Turkish national-team tokens haven’t emerged as major players in the current cycle.
CHZ itself acts as the base-layer asset for this economy.
Prediction markets and the broader crypto angle
Avalanche (AVAX) and various Solana-based tokens have also appeared in World Cup 2026 crypto coverage, reflecting the broader trend of blockchain platforms jockeying for relevance during major cultural moments.
CHZ rallied sharply during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar before giving back most of those gains in the months that followed.
Having Kraken as an official FIFA partner, rather than just a sponsor of a single team, changes the distribution mechanics. It’s not one exchange running ads during halftime. It’s the sport’s global governing body explicitly endorsing a crypto platform as part of its commercial ecosystem.