Spain and Austria meet on July 2 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, for a FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match. On the pitch, it’s a clash between the reigning European champions and a team reaching the knockout stages for the first time since 1954. Off the pitch, it’s one of the most crypto-saturated sporting events ever staged.
This is the first World Cup played under a 48-team format, and it’s also the first where a crypto exchange holds an official sponsorship role. Kraken was named the Official Crypto Exchange Supporter of the tournament in June 2026.
How crypto embedded itself in the World Cup
Chainlink oracles are powering FIFA’s official prediction market through a partnership with ADI PredictStreet. Real-time match data gets fed into smart contracts that settle bets automatically, removing the need for a centralized bookmaker to decide who won what.
Chiliz, the blockchain platform behind most national-team fan tokens, has seen increased activity as the tournament progresses. Fan tokens give holders voting rights on minor team decisions and access to exclusive content. CHZ, the native token powering the Chiliz network, tends to move in tandem with major tournament milestones.
