FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump will present the World Cup trophy at the 2026 final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, a break from tradition where FIFA officials typically handle the ceremony. The announcement came alongside FIFA's deepening push into blockchain partnerships, including a deal with Kraken as the tournament's first Official Crypto Exchange Supporter.
A World Cup built on political and crypto partnerships
Infantino stated that organizing the World Cup without Trump's influence would have been "impossible," highlighting the political alignment. Trump's family ties to token ventures like World Liberty Financial position him as a crypto-friendly president, which aligns with FIFA's aggressive blockchain strategy.
On June 9, FIFA announced Kraken as its Official Crypto Exchange Supporter, a historic first for the tournament. FIFA also launched its own blockchain, powered by Avalanche, to support the FIFA Collect digital collectibles platform, which migrated from Algorand and Polygon. Chainlink provides oracle infrastructure for FIFA's first on-chain prediction markets during the tournament.
The crypto angle investors should actually watch
Kraken serves as the exchange layer for an ecosystem that includes NFT collectibles on Avalanche and prediction markets powered by Chainlink oracles. The 2022 World Cup final drew over 1.5 billion viewers, and even a fraction of that audience interacting with FIFA Collect or prediction markets could generate significant on-chain activity.
FIFA's migration from Algorand and Polygon to Avalanche suggests confidence in that chain's performance. Chainlink's oracle network supplies the data feeds needed for the prediction markets to function.
What this means for the broader market
Fan tokens during the 2022 World Cup cycle saw pump-and-dump patterns, leaving retail investors with losses while insiders profited. FIFA's deeper infrastructure investments—including a blockchain migration, oracle-powered prediction markets, and a blue-chip exchange partnership—may represent a more durable approach than the earlier fan token frenzy.