France is tearing through the 2026 FIFA World Cup with 16 goals and a semifinal berth, powered by what analysts are calling the “Fabulous Five.” Kylian Mbappe leads the charge with 6 goals. Ousmane Dembele has added 4 of his own. Michael Olise has been threading assists like he’s playing FIFA on easy mode.
But here’s what’s conspicuously absent from the biggest sporting event on earth: crypto.
The sponsorship void that says everything
Rewind to 2022, and the Qatar World Cup was drowning in crypto branding. Crypto.com had its logo everywhere. Algorand was FIFA’s official blockchain partner. Bybit, Binance, and a parade of exchanges were jockeying for eyeball time during the most-watched sporting event on the planet.
Four years later, the conversation around France’s dominant tournament run, including a commanding 3-0 demolition of Sweden in the knockouts, is entirely about football. No token launches tied to player NFTs. No fan token price movements tracking Mbappe’s goal tally. No blockchain-based ticketing discourse.
