Crypto firms have plastered their logos on Formula 1 cars, UFC octagons, NBA arenas, and Premier League jerseys. But as the United States prepares to host its first World Cup since 1994, the country’s men’s national team heads into the tournament without a single crypto sponsorship or fan token to its name.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup features an expanded 48-team format, games played across the US, and a striker named Folarin Balogun who is quickly becoming the most important player on the American roster.
Balogun’s rise as the USMNT’s focal point
The Monaco forward scored 19 goals in the 2025-26 Ligue 1 campaign, earning the club’s Bang & Olufsen MVP award and cementing himself as one of the most productive strikers in French football.
Since switching his international allegiance to the US in 2023, Balogun has racked up 27 caps and 9 goals. He was part of the squads that won back-to-back CONCACAF Nations League titles in 2023 and 2024, and his integration into the team’s pre-tournament friendlies has underscored his centrality to whatever attacking system the coaching staff deploys this summer.
