Uzbekistan will step onto the pitch at Estadio Azteca on June 18 to face Colombia in their first ever World Cup match. It’s a genuinely massive moment for a country that has never appeared on football’s grandest stage.
But while a nation of 36 million people sets up public viewing screens at schools, offices, and city squares for the occasion, the broader tournament they’re entering looks very different from any World Cup that came before it. Crypto is now a structural part of the event, with Kraken named as the official crypto exchange partner for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
A country stops to watch
The match kicks off at 20:00 local time in Mexico City, which translates to a 7 am start in Uzbekistan.
An education ministry official captured the mood plainly enough.
