The 2026 FIFA World Cup is underway, and it brought more than just football to the pitch. Mexico and South Korea both secured victories in their opening matches on June 12, with Mexico defeating South Africa and South Korea beating the Czech Republic in the first games of an expanded 48-team tournament.
Kraken, Chainlink, and the crypto sponsorship push
Three days before kickoff, on June 9, FIFA named Kraken its Official Crypto Exchange Supporter. Activations began the following day, June 10, giving the exchange prime positioning across the tournament’s marketing infrastructure in both North America and Europe.
Alongside the Kraken partnership, FIFA inked its first-ever Official Prediction Market Partnership with ADI PredictStreet. The platform uses Chainlink oracles to power forecasts on match outcomes and tournament events.
Fan tokens and the on-chain activity surge
