The FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout stage is here, and July 1 brings three matches that matter for both football fans and crypto participants watching this tournament reshape the intersection of sports and blockchain.
England takes on the RD Congo in Atlanta around noon ET, Belgium faces Senegal in Seattle at approximately 4 PM ET, and the US plays Bosnia and Herzegovina in the San Francisco Bay Area at 8 PM ET. Broadcasts run across Telemundo, Peacock, and regional partners.
Kraken, Avalanche, and FIFA’s blockchain bet
On June 9, 2026, FIFA appointed Kraken as its first official crypto exchange supporter. FIFA Collect, the organization’s digital collectibles platform, operates on infrastructure powered by Avalanche. The same technology underpins a tokenized ticketing system designed to tackle ticket scalping and secondary-market manipulation through on-chain verification and resale controls.
The expanded tournament format, now featuring 48 teams across three host countries (the US, Canada, and Mexico), amplifies the scale of this experiment.
