Kylian Mbappé picked up the Michelob ULTRA Superior Player of the Match trophy on June 11, 2026, adding another individual honor to a World Cup resume that already reads like a highlight reel.

The award is decided by fan votes, not a panel of judges.

What the award actually is

The Michelob ULTRA Superior Player of the Match is a sponsorship-backed accolade built around fan engagement, distinct from FIFA’s traditional technical awards.

With 104 of these trophies expected to be handed out across the full 2026 tournament, there will be no shortage of winners.

Mbappé’s history at the World Cup gives context to why fans responded the way they did. He was named best young player at the 2018 edition in Russia, a tournament France won.

The 2026 World Cup expanded to a 48-team format, spread across host nations Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The tournament wraps up with the final at New York/New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026.

Where crypto fits into this picture

The trophy itself has no connection to blockchain technology or digital assets.

Kraken is the official crypto exchange partner of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That partnership is already generating measurable market movement. Sorare, the fantasy football platform built on blockchain infrastructure, saw NFT sales surge by 795% following the Kraken partnership announcement.

Sorare’s model works by letting users collect officially licensed player cards as NFTs, then field those cards in fantasy competitions.

There are also independently created meme tokens associated with Mbappé circulating on Solana and Ethereum. These carry no verified connection to the player, FIFA, or any official tournament structure.

What this means for investors and fans watching the crypto angle

The Kraken partnership with FIFA attaches the official exchange partner label to the single largest sporting event on earth.

For investors, the Sorare sales spike is the most concrete data point available right now. It signals that sports-adjacent NFTs can respond quickly to high-profile catalysts.

Meme tokens built around a celebrity’s name without any official connection are not a proxy for that celebrity’s success.