The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been whittled down to 16 teams, and while France and Argentina sit atop the betting boards, the real sleeper story is playing out on-chain. Between Kraken’s historic sponsorship deal, FIFA’s NFT collectibles, and fan tokens swinging on every match result, this tournament is doubling as a live stress test for crypto’s mainstream ambitions.

France currently leads the betting odds at roughly +180, with Argentina trailing at around +370.

Kraken scores the first official crypto exchange World Cup deal

On June 9, 2026, Kraken was announced as FIFA’s Official Crypto Exchange Supporter. That makes this the first World Cup in history to feature a crypto exchange in an official sponsorship…