Cristiano Ronaldo heads to the US for the 2026 World Cup, and his crypto footprint is coming with him

Cristiano Ronaldo just touched down in the United States with the Portugal national team. He’s 41 years old. This is his sixth FIFA World Cup.

While the football world fixates on whether one of the greatest players in history can finally lift the sport’s most coveted trophy, there’s a parallel story playing out in crypto. Ronaldo’s deep ties to Web3, his ongoing partnership with Binance, and the Portugal National Team Fan Token (POR) mean this World Cup carries implications that extend well beyond the pitch.

The GOAT debate meets the blockchain

Ronaldo partnered with Binance on a multi-year NFT collaboration that has produced several collections, including the CR7 ForeverZone and ForeverSkills drops. These aren’t the kind of one-off celebrity cash grabs that plagued the 2021 NFT boom. They’re part of an ongoing relationship between the world’s most-followed athlete and the world’s largest crypto exchange.

Portugal’s fan token and the World Cup effect