Sweden and Japan both punched their tickets to the World Cup knockout rounds on June 9, courtesy of a 1-1 draw that settled Group F. Anthony Elanga’s equalizer was the highlight on the pitch. Off it, FIFA quietly made a move that matters more to crypto markets: announcing Kraken as the official crypto exchange supporter of the 2026 World Cup on the same day.
The timing is almost too neat. The world’s biggest sporting event is now formally partnered with one of crypto’s most established exchanges, and the relationship is set to activate with public-facing initiatives launching around June 10.
What happened on the pitch
Elanga’s goal rescued Sweden from what would have been an uncomfortable final group-stage result. The 1-1 draw was enough for both sides to advance, with Sweden topping Group F and Japan progressing as runners-up.
Neither Sweden nor Japan currently have fan token programs or direct crypto partnerships tied to their national football associations. That puts them in a different category than Belgium, whose football association launched the $BELG fan token on June 3 through Socios.com.
