Kraken Scores Big at World Cup 2026 as Crypto Brings in Billions

The World Cup 2026 is set to kick off on June 29th with three group-stage matches, but for crypto enthusiasts, the real story lies in the branding and marketing efforts of Kraken, FIFA's first-ever official crypto exchange supporter.

Kraken's role means that digital asset branding will be visible to an estimated six billion cumulative viewers across the entire tournament. The expansion of the World Cup from 32 national teams to 48 this year brings more matches, watch time, and exposure for every sponsor logo, including Kraken's.

For Kraken, the math is straightforward: with more games comes more screen time, which translates to more potential onboarding of traditional sports fans into crypto. Fan tokens and prediction markets are already gaining traction, with national-team fan tokens traded on Chiliz/Socios.com seeing a spike in activity around match days.

Users can wager on match outcomes, group-stage results, and tournament winners using crypto through blockchain-based prediction platforms. FIFA's own blockchain initiative, FIFA Collect, also allows users to purchase digital collectibles tied to World Cup moments and players.