Croatia punched its ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage on June 27 with a 2-1 victory over Ghana, finishing second in Group L behind England.

The match generated roughly $500K in prediction market volume, another data point in the increasingly tight relationship between live sports and digital asset trading.

How Croatia got here

Croatia’s path to the Round of 32 was methodical. The team wrapped up its UEFA qualifying campaign with a 7-1-0 record. That’s seven wins, one draw, zero losses.

Croatia scored 26 goals during qualification while conceding just four, a goal difference of plus-22 across eight matches.

In the group stage, Croatia accumulated 6 points to secure second place in Group L….