Kraken's World Cup Deal Puts Crypto in Front of 5B Viewers

The FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off this week across the US, Mexico, and Canada. Kraken locked in the title of Official Crypto Exchange Supporter on June 9, one of the biggest crypto sponsorships in global sports history.

The 48-team format means more matches and more screen time. The 2022 Qatar tournament drew an estimated 5 billion viewers across platforms, per FIFA's own figures. The expanded 2026 edition is expected to top that.

Kraken is not launching a tournament token or protocol. No specific crypto asset is tied to the deal. The bet is simpler: put the brand in front of hundreds of millions of people who have never opened a trading app.

Scotland returns to the World Cup for the first time since 1998, its ninth finals appearance. The team opens against Haiti on June 14 in Boston, then faces Morocco on June 19, also in Boston, before closing the group stage against Brazil on June 24 in Miami. Morocco reached the semifinals in 2022, the first African nation to do so.

Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland will compete across venues in Boston and Miami from June 13 to June 24. The top two teams from each group advance, with some third-place finishers also qualifying based on results.

The sponsorship is focused on fan engagement, not on-chain mechanics. For Kraken, the math is about reach: a month-long tournament with billions of cumulative viewers, many of whom have never touched crypto. The exchange is betting that visibility alone shifts the baseline.