Fans paid $18 for a beer at a warm-up match. FIFA's response: a blockchain ticketing system with Avalanche and a Kraken sponsorship. Expect £15 pints and crypto engagement.
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A cold beer at a football match has never been cheap. The 2026 FIFA World Cup, spread across the US, Canada, and Mexico, is threatening to push stadium concession prices into genuinely absurd territory, with a single cup of beer potentially costing fans more than £15.
That number isn't hypothetical. During a recent warm-up match between England and New Zealand at one of the tournament's host venues, domestic beer prices ranged from $16.75 to $18 per cup, which converts to roughly £12.50 to £13.44. Those are pre-tournament prices. The expectation is that World Cup matchday pricing will be even steeper.
Fan backlash has been swift. Reports from The Sun highlighted widespread outrage after the England-New Zealand friendly, with supporters calling the pricing exploitative.
Alongside the price controversy, FIFA is quietly building a blockchain engagement layer. On June 9, 2026, the organisation named Kraken as the Official Crypto Exchange Supporter of the World Cup. Kraken Lands World Cup Sponsorship; FIFA Adds Referee Cameras Separately, FIFA is using Avalanche's blockchain for its ticketing platform, a move designed to reduce fraud and scalping while creating verifiable digital ticket ownership. The organization has also deepened its relationship with Chiliz, the platform behind fan tokens that let supporters vote on minor club decisions, access exclusive content, and participate in gamified experiences. World Cup 2026 Kicks Off With Kraken, Chiliz Fan Tokens in Play
Avalanche's ticketing integration addresses a genuine problem. Counterfeit tickets and predatory resale markets have plagued major sporting events for decades. A verifiable on-chain ticket that can be transferred and cannot be duplicated is a practical use case, not a speculative one.
The Argentine Football Association already has a fan token on the Chiliz platform. The tournament could drive meaningful transaction volume if even a small percentage of global football fans engage with the ecosystem.
Platforms like Polymarket have already demonstrated massive volume around political events. A 48-team World Cup with group stages, knockouts, and individual match outcomes creates hundreds of discrete betting markets. Crypto-native prediction platforms could see activity spikes throughout the tournament's June-July window.
If Avalanche's ticketing system processes millions of transactions smoothly across 104 matches in three countries, it becomes a case study for other leagues and federations considering blockchain infrastructure. Any technical failures, whether slow transaction times, wallet issues, or user confusion, would be amplified by the global spotlight.
A source told The Sun the goal was to make fans feel connected through digital assets.
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