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The 2026 World Cup is barely underway and the storylines are already writing themselves. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane have all delivered decisive goals and performances to push their squads into knockout contention. England manager Thomas Tuchel called the quartet “sharks” on July 1, and it’s hard to argue with the metaphor.
Kraken makes history as FIFA’s first crypto exchange sponsor
On June 9, just two days before the opening match, FIFA announced that Kraken had become the Official Crypto Exchange Supporter for the 2026 World Cup. That’s a first. No crypto exchange had ever held this designation for a FIFA tournament.
The partnership is designed to enhance fan engagement across the North American host cities during the tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 19. This is the first World Cup expanded to 48 teams, meaning more matches, more countries involved, and a significantly larger global audience than the 32-team format that defined every tournament since 1998.
Fan tokens are riding the Messi effect
Argentina’s $ARG fan token, part of the Chiliz ecosystem, has historically shown price movements that correlate with Messi’s on-field performances. When Messi scores or delivers a man-of-the-match display, trading volume and price tend to spike. When Argentina struggles, the token dips.
Messi signed a $20 million promotional agreement with Socios.com back in March 2022, making him one of the highest-profile athletes to formally align with the fan token space. That deal predated Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar, which sent $ARG on a memorable run.
Now, with Messi competing in what is widely expected to be his final World Cup at age 38, every goal carries narrative weight that extends into token markets. The expanded 48-team format also means more national fan tokens are potentially in play, broadening the addressable market for Chiliz and similar platforms.
Meme coins and the speculative fringe
Multiple unofficial tokens branded around the tournament, including variants using the FWC26 ticker, have appeared on decentralized platforms. These tokens have no official FIFA affiliation, no utility beyond speculation, and liquidity that can evaporate faster than a VAR review.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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