The expanded format, featuring 48 teams for the first time in World Cup history, appears to be delivering exactly what organizers hoped for: more games, more drama, and significantly more goals. With 104 total matches spread across 16 cities in North America, the sheer volume of football on offer is staggering.
The US set the tone on June 13 with a commanding 4-1 victory over Paraguay, a result that signaled the hosts mean business and that this tournament’s expanded pool of teams might produce more lopsided, entertaining fixtures.
Crypto’s World Cup moment
Kraken became the first-ever Official Crypto Exchange Supporter of a FIFA World Cup, a partnership announced on June 9, just days before the tournament kicked off. Avalanche serves as the blockchain backbone for FIFA’s digital initiatives during the tournament. Chainlink powers prediction markets across platforms like Myriad for every single match.
Fan tokens traded on the Chiliz and Socios ecosystem are reflecting real-time sentiment during matches. Tokens tied to national teams, including ARG for Argentina and POR for Portugal, have seen heightened trading interest as the tournament progresses.
