The 2026 World Cup’s Group I, featuring France, Senegal, Norway, and Iraq, is one of the more intriguing draws on the pitch. Off the pitch, though, the story is about what’s not there: none of these four national teams have launched dedicated crypto tokens or secured blockchain-specific sponsorships heading into the tournament.

That absence is notable because FIFA itself has gone deep on crypto infrastructure for this World Cup cycle. On June 9, 2026, FIFA announced Kraken as its Official Crypto Exchange Supporter, a deal aimed at boosting crypto awareness among fans across North America and Europe. The partnership is designed to bring activations and product experiences that connect the sport’s massive global audience to digital assets.

FIFA’s blockchain stack is bigger than you think

FIFA Collect, the platform for digital collectibles tied to the World Cup, runs on Avalanche. AVAX powers the underlying blockchain that handles minting and distribution of these digital items. On May 28, 2026, FIFA launched national team dynamic collectibles through the platform, giving fans tokenized memorabilia that can evolve based on team performance.

FIFA Collect is donating 20% of proceeds from select items to FIFA Global Citizen Education, with that initiative running through July 19, 2026.

Meanwhile, Chiliz handles the fan-token infrastructure side of things. CHZ has been the go-to blockchain for sports fan tokens for years, and its role in the FIFA ecosystem positions it as a key beneficiary of any surge in tournament-related engagement.

FIFA has essentially split its crypto strategy across two chains. Avalanche handles the collectibles. Chiliz handles fan engagement tokens. Kraken handles the fiat-to-crypto on-ramp for fans who want to participate.

The meme token wild card

Unofficial Solana-based meme tokens themed around national teams have been gaining traction ahead of the June 2026 kickoff. These aren’t sanctioned by FIFA, the teams, or any governing body. Solana’s low transaction costs and fast settlement make it trivially easy to launch these tokens, meaning the volume of them has exploded.

Tokens like CHZ and AVAX have actual infrastructure roles in the FIFA ecosystem. Solana-based national team meme tokens are pure speculation with no utility beyond trading momentum.

What this means for investors

AVAX and CHZ are the two tokens with direct exposure to World Cup activity. Any spike in FIFA Collect transactions flows through Avalanche’s network. Chiliz benefits from broader fan-token engagement, though its value proposition depends on whether casual fans actually use these tokens or just collect them passively.

No team in Group I has moved toward tokenized fan engagement, suggesting either regulatory caution, lack of interest, or both. France alone has one of the largest and most passionate fanbases in world football, representing an untapped market for a tokenized fan engagement platform.