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England’s friendly against Costa Rica in Orlando got pushed back to 22:00 BST on June 10 after thunderstorms rolled through Florida, turning what was supposed to be a routine pre-World Cup tune-up into a weather-watching exercise. The match at Inter&Co Stadium was originally set for 4 PM local time.
The game is part of England’s “Florida Series,” their first matches on US soil in over two decades, all timed to build momentum ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. In the last 48 hours, FIFA announced that Kraken will serve as the Official Crypto Exchange Supporter of that tournament.
Crypto’s creep into the world’s biggest sport
Kraken’s World Cup deal is the latest in a long line of crypto-sports partnerships, but this one carries more weight than slapping a logo on a jersey. The FIFA World Cup is the most-watched sporting event on the planet. Being the “Official Crypto Exchange Supporter” puts Kraken’s brand in front of billions of eyeballs across dozens of countries.
Crypto companies have been circling professional sports for years, from stadium naming rights to shirt sponsorships. FTX’s naming rights deal with the Miami Heat’s arena became a punchline after the exchange collapsed in late 2022. Crypto.com’s $700M deal for the former Staples Center in Los Angeles still raises eyebrows about whether the ROI justified the spend.
Regulators aren’t watching from the sidelines
On June 3, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority issued a warning about unauthorized crypto sponsorship deals involving Premier League clubs. The FCA’s concern is straightforward: some crypto firms sponsoring English football teams aren’t properly authorized to market financial products to UK consumers.
FIFA is welcoming Kraken as an official partner for the biggest tournament in world football. Meanwhile, the UK’s financial watchdog is telling crypto companies to stay away from English club football unless they’ve got the proper paperwork. The World Cup 2026 is being hosted across the US, Canada, and Mexico, and the regulatory framework governing that sponsorship is fundamentally different from what the FCA oversees in England.
What this means for crypto investors
Sports sponsorships serve as a proxy for mainstream adoption. The regulatory angle is the risk factor worth monitoring closely. The FCA’s June 3 warning wasn’t a one-off, and regulatory bodies across Europe and the UK have been tightening rules around crypto marketing for the past two years.
Coinbase has its own sports partnerships. Binance has historically been aggressive in this space before pulling back under regulatory pressure. Kraken landing the World Cup deal suggests it’s positioning itself as the “regulatory-friendly” option for sports organizations that want crypto money without the compliance headaches.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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