NFTs, Fan Tokens and Crypto Join in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Fever

Quick Take:

• NFTs based on FIFA World Cup 26 Stars Messi, Mbappé, and Haaland are back in crypto market spotlight.
• Kraken, a major global cryptocurrency exchange, is the official sponsor of the prestigious tournament.
• NFT marketplaces like Rarible and OpenSea can be used to purchase these NFTs.

Football is among the most happening things in the crypto market in 2026, just like it was in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In the 2026 edition of the Football World Cup, fans are expressing support for their favorite stars.

Kraken, one of the largest global cryptocurrency exchanges, has become the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The quadrennial event will be played between 48 teams in 104 matches across 16 host cities.

Three of the most famous Football players featuring in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including Lionel Messi (Argentina), Kylian Mbappé (France), and Erling Haaland (Norway) played matches on June 22nd. All three sporting nations have Group stage matches on Tuesday.

In their respective group stage matches, Argentina (vs Austria), France (vs Iraq), and Norway (vs Senegal) recorded victories. Messi scored Argentina’s two goals in their 2-0 victory over Austria, becoming the Football World Cup’s all-time top scorer (17 goals). Mbappé and Haaland, both strikers, also scored in their matches on Tuesday.

Each team brings unique NFTs and fan tokens to their supporters, alleviating the stakes for fans.

With the new digital collectibles, fans can take a unique piece of history with them and keep it forever. New fan tokens like ARG in this world cup complement previous fan tokens like Mbappé’s and Haaland’s NFTs.

Fan Tokens Hit Center Stage

Crypto fan tokens are being extensively used by Football teams to mobilize support for the teams. For example, the Argentine team has a fan token called ARG which enables its fans to take part in decisions of the team. At press time, ARG traded at $0.00005816.

Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup and will aim to defend its title this year; meanwhile ARG token is in the spotlight.

Crypto Sponsorships in the World Cup

Lionel Messi got a $20 million sponsorship from Socios, the platform which is backed by CHZ. The partnership which was signed in 2022 is still one of the largest deals ever signed between a crypto firm and an athlete.

Kylian Mbappé partnered with Sorare, one of the leading fantasy team building applications with player NFTs. Back in 2022, Mbappé’s partnership with Sorare triggered a massive 800% rally in NFT sales.

The price of the Erling Haaland NFT had surged by over 260 ETH in its best days.

How to Get the Fan Collectibles?

You can easily get the fan collectibles in your wallet by simply going to your favorite NFT marketplace or exchange and buy these tokens directly.

Cryptocurrency-based fan tokens, such as CHZ from Socios which sponsors Lionel Messi, can be bought just like any other cryptocurrency.

These NFTs can be bought either through exchanges or via NFT marketplaces like Blur, Rarible and OpenSea.