The US men’s national team punched its ticket to the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1. It marks the second consecutive tournament where the USMNT has reached the knockout stage, and this time they’re doing it on home soil.
Belgium awaits in Seattle on July 6. But while the soccer world focuses on tactical matchups and squad rotations, there’s a parallel storyline playing out that matters for crypto investors: the 2026 World Cup has become the most blockchain-integrated sporting event in history.
Crypto’s World Cup playbook
Kraken secured its role as FIFA’s Official Crypto Exchange Supporter back on June 9, making it the first major exchange to land a direct partnership with global soccer’s governing body. The deal is designed to boost fan engagement across North America and Europe.
FIFA Collect, the organization’s digital collectibles platform, runs on Avalanche-based technology. It handles both NFT-style collectibles and ticketing solutions engineered to combat scalping and fraud.
