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Canada’s first match as a World Cup co-host did not go according to the script. Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Jovo Lukic opened the scoring in the 21st minute at BMO Field in Toronto on June 12, and for nearly an hour it looked like the home crowd would leave with nothing but disappointment.
Then Cyle Larin equalized in the 78th minute, salvaging a 1-1 draw and keeping Canada’s Group B hopes intact.
What actually happened on the pitch
The Group B fixture was Canada’s opening act in a tournament it is co-hosting alongside Mexico and the United States. The 2026 World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19, and for the Canadians, a home draw is better than a home loss, but only barely.
Lukic’s early goal put Bosnia ahead and silenced the BMO Field crowd. Canada spent most of the second half pressing for an equalizer, and Larin finally delivered with just over ten minutes of normal time remaining.
Crypto’s growing footprint at the World Cup
Kraken was named FIFA’s Official Crypto Exchange Partner on June 9, just three days before kickoff. The partnership is designed to boost fan engagement across North America and Europe.
Chiliz, the company behind fan-token ecosystems for sports teams, is involved in supporting various national team tokens. Avalanche is providing blockchain infrastructure support for the event.
Platforms including Coinbase facilitated trading tied to the outcome of the Canada-Bosnia fixture, with people placing crypto-denominated bets on who would win, lose, or draw.
What this means for investors
Kraken’s partnership with FIFA gives it a visibility advantage over competing exchanges during the most-watched sporting event on the planet. The last men’s World Cup in 2022 drew an estimated cumulative television audience in the billions.
Prediction markets exist in a legal gray zone in several jurisdictions, including parts of the US and Canada. A high-profile tournament creates high-profile scrutiny. If regulators decide to make an example during the World Cup window, platforms operating in this space could face sudden headwinds.
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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