Belgium and Iran meet at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on June 21 for their Group G clash at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, kicking off at 12:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. ET). It’s the first time the two national teams have ever faced each other on the pitch.
But there’s a second storyline running underneath the match that matters more to this audience: Kraken is sitting courtside, so to speak, as FIFA’s first-ever Official Crypto Exchange Supporter. That deal, announced on June 9, makes this tournament the biggest global stage crypto has ever shared with traditional sports.
What Kraken’s FIFA deal actually means
The Kraken-FIFA partnership is structured around fan education and crypto awareness across North America and Europe. The World Cup is the single most-watched sporting event on the planet. Having a crypto exchange as an official supporter category, one that never existed before this cycle, signals that FIFA sees digital assets as a durable commercial partner rather than a speculative novelty.
Neither Belgium nor Iran has a direct crypto token affiliation or blockchain sponsor attached to the squad. The crypto presence here is entirely at the tournament level.
