Harry Kane waited until the 75th minute to remind everyone why he’s captain. Then he did it again in the 86th. England’s 2-1 comeback victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo on July 1 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium wasn’t just a football story. It was also a live stress test for the prediction markets and crypto sponsors that have quietly become part of the World Cup furniture.
DR Congo’s Brian Cipenga had opened the scoring in the 7th minute, and for over an hour, England looked like a team auditioning for a very public elimination. This was only the second time in World Cup history that England secured a win after conceding first.
Polymarket bettors had receipts
Over on Polymarket, the crypto-native prediction platform, more than $3.6M in trading volume had already been processed on the England-DR Congo match outcome before kickoff. England’s pre-game winning probability sat at roughly 77%.
When Cipenga’s early goal hit the net, those odds shifted fast. Then Kane equalized. Then Kane scored the winner. The contracts settled in England’s favor.
