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Liverpool players Gravenberch, Van Dijk score Netherlands’ first goal at World Cup
The club connection paid off as Gravenberch's assist found Van Dijk for the Dutch opener, while Kraken's crypto sponsorship marks a new era for fan engagement at the tournament.
Virgil van Dijk headed home the Netherlands’ first goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 14, and the assist came from the man who sits next to him in the Liverpool dressing room. Ryan Gravenberch delivered the ball, Van Dijk finished it, and the Dutch were off and running.
Gravenberch and Van Dijk weren’t the only Reds representatives wearing orange in the buildup to the tournament. Cody Gakpo also featured alongside the pair during a pre-World Cup friendly against Algeria on June 3, giving the Netherlands a distinctly Merseyside flavor heading into the competition.
The 2026 World Cup marks a significantly expanded tournament. Forty-eight teams are competing this time around, up from the traditional 32-team format. The competition is being co-hosted across three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Kraken plants its flag on the world’s biggest stage
Between June 9 and June 12, just days before the tournament kicked off, Kraken was announced as the Official Crypto Exchange Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Fan tokens and the unofficial economy
There is no official FIFA World Cup 2026 token. Fan tokens have been issued through Socios.com, which has carved out a niche in sports-related digital assets. But these are team-level tokens, not tournament-sanctioned products.
Meanwhile, unofficial tokens have sprung up like weeds after rain. Various Solana-based meme coins have appeared, along with a token literally named WORLD CUP 2026 (WORLDCUP26).
Fan tokens tend to spike around major events and deflate afterward, a cycle that’s been well-documented across multiple tournaments and leagues.