Two days after Kraken became the first crypto exchange to land an official FIFA World Cup sponsorship, the tournament kicked off with Mexico beating South Africa 2-0 at Estadio Azteca. The win was messy, the debut jitters were real, and the crypto industry’s biggest sports bet is now playing out in front of the largest global audience in World Cup history.
Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre acknowledged that as many as 10 players experienced their first-ever World Cup minutes in that opener. The inexperience showed. Despite the clean scoreline, the first half was marked by sloppy passing and defensive miscues that Aguirre attributed squarely to nerves.
Aguirre adjusts, and so does the crypto playbook
Aguirre confirmed that Edson Álvarez, the Fenerbahçe midfielder, will replace César Montes in the starting lineup for Mexico’s next group-stage match against South Korea.
Aguirre has been in this exact seat before. He coached Mexico at the 2010 World Cup, where the opening match was also against South Africa. The 2-0 result snapped a seven-match winless streak in World Cup openers for Mexico.
