Canada Names 26 for World Cup as Kraken Inks FIFA Deal

Canada’s men’s national team named its 26-player World Cup squad on May 29, with Alphonso Davies headlining the roster for the June 11–July 19 tournament. Coach Jesse Marsch, who took over in 2024, built a high-pressing 4-4-2 system. Canada opens June 12 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto. Defender Moise Bombito misses out through injury. The team plays two friendlies – Uzbekistan on June 1 and the Republic of Ireland on June 5 – as final tune-ups.

On June 9, Kraken was named FIFA’s official crypto exchange partner for the same event, placing the brand in front of billions of viewers worldwide. The sponsorship is part of a broader push by FIFA to integrate crypto into its events, as AlphaScala covered in its analysis of FIFA's Crypto Push.

Canada Soccer’s official partners page lists no blockchain or token partnerships. The national team has yet to sign a crypto exchange tie-up. No fan tokens or NFT initiatives appear on the page. The absence stands in contrast to the FIFA-level deal and to the trend at major European clubs.

Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, and Juventus have all launched fan tokens through platforms like Socios, giving holders voting rights on minor club decisions and access to exclusive content. FTX’s collapse came less than a year after it sponsored the Miami Heat’s arena. Canada Soccer has not announced any crypto partnerships, a stance that may reflect caution after that fallout.

The 2026 edition expands to 48 teams, the largest FIFA tournament ever staged. The tournament runs June 11 through July 19 across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Whether Canada Soccer deepens its crypto ties before kickoff remains an open question.